


Those Who Inherit the Will of Fire

by ChipAndShatter



Series: The Way of the Ninja [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Angst, Coherent Worldbuilding, Gen, naruto rewrite
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:47:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 26,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26644729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChipAndShatter/pseuds/ChipAndShatter
Summary: Naruto is an orphan boy who dreams of becoming Hokage, the strongest ninja in the Hidden Leaf Village. But the world of ninja hides many shadows; perhaps the most dangerous one, inside of Naruto himself.Complete rewrite of Naruto.
Series: The Way of the Ninja [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1938448
Comments: 6
Kudos: 12





	1. Naruto

**Author's Note:**

> This rewrite will start very similar to the original Naruto, but you'll notice more and more changes as we get further along the story. I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> Also, english is not my first language, so I would really appreciate it if you could point out any mistakes you notice.

The Hidden Leaf Village was plunged into chaos. Hundreds of burning buildings lit up with a ghastly light uncountable columns of black smoke, which rose towards the night sky. Kyuubi, the Nine Tailed Demon Fox, made structures collapse with every movement of its colossal form, towering over the few nearby structures still standing. Barely a few minutes had passed since the beginning of the attack. Both civilians, only capable of running for their lives, and ninja, supernatural warriors trained and prepared for combat and horror alike, gave everything for lost. It was then that the hero arrived.

From among the ruins, a huge cloud of white smoke arose, and from it, emerged the figure of a toad that rivaled in size with the demon. On top of its head stood the man known as the Fourth Hokage, the village's leader. Only then did the inhabitants of the Leaf allow themselves the luxury of hope. The gigantic toad charged at the Nine Tailed Fox, driving him back beyond the crumbled wall to the south of the village. The mighty amphibian did not stop until the enemy had been carried deep into the great forest that surrounded and protected the Leaf Village. No one ever saw Kyuubi again.

The attack had left more than two thousand casualties in mere minutes, but the night still had to claim another life. The young Fourth Hokage died after defeating the demon. At dawn, the survivors bowed to the Hokage Rock, the mountain on which the faces of the Hokage Lords were carved into, and mourned the loss of their leader. There would never live another like the Fourth.

Twelve years later.

From the top of the Hokage Rock, Naruto could see the entire village through his bright blue eyes. The rising sun bathed in warm light the treetops of the great forest, as well as the red and orange rooftops of the Leaf's buildings, built almost entirely out of wood and stone. The Kyuubi's attack brought in thousands of people from all corners of the Land of Fire, in which the village was located, to assist in the rebuilding efforts and replace the people of the Leaf who had lost their lives. Naruto's parents, unknown civilians, were among those who came to the village to help, but for some reason they abandoned him there. The village put him in the care of the orphanage, like so many other children after the attack. But after entering the Ninja Academy at the age of seven, the village gave him a small apartment in a residential area.

Naruto checked and secured the rope that was tied to the waist of his orange jacket, which was too big for him, and the bucket hanged from his blue cloth belt. Grasping the rope tightly, he lowered himself down the Third Hokage's stony face, located higher up the mountain than the other three.

The boos of the people of the village were soon to be heard when they saw the paintings on the huge faces carved into the stone, but Naruto was at such a height that he could hardly hear them. When he was moving towards the last paint-free face, that of the First Hokage, he noticed several ninja glaring at him from the roof of the administration building, right at the base of the mountain. They seemed furious and ready to pounce at him at any moment, but a figure appeared among them and calmed their spirits. The old Third Hokage wore a long white jacket over a red robe, which almost reached the ground, and the wide conical hat of the Hokage. The old leader did not seem angry despite the fact that Naruto had painted on his sculpture, which portrayed him in his youth, more wrinkles than he would have if he ever lived to be a hundred years old.

The familiar figure of Master Iruka, his teacher at the Ninja Academy, appeared on the roof. He yelled for Naruto to come down before him, but received only mocking in return. The young teacher knelt before the Hokage and in an instant, was gone. Naruto felt a pressure on his chest and a sharp tug, and the world began to spin. When his head finally stopped spinning, he found himself sitting on the roof with his hands bound, next to Iruka, and at the feet of the Third. Iruka wore the standard attire of the Leaf ninja: a tight fitting dark blue tunic and matching pants, in addition to the forest green vest that identified him as chunin, a mid rank ninja. Iruka knelt before the old Hokage once more.

"I apologize again, Lord Hokage. I promise you, at the end of today's lesson I will personally see to it that Naruto cleans the statues until no trace of his vandalism is left."

The Third took a pull on his pipe and simply nodded. He turned and disbanded the other ninja on the roof with a wave of his hand. Iruka led Naruto through the square where the administration building was located towards the Academy, located at one end of it. Before reaching the door, Iruka stopped before Naruto and crouched down to face him.

Iruka had a scar across the bridge of his nose and his black hair was tied back in a high ponytail. Naruto's gaze fell on his teacher's forehead protector. It was a blue cloth headband he wore tied to his head, with a metal plate covering his forehead, on which was engraved the symbol of the village, a stylized leaf.

"You have to stop with this sort of stupidity, Naruto. I thought you were taking becoming a ninja more seriously."

There was more disappointment than anger in his voice. Iruka let out a sigh.

"If you put half as much effort into your studies as you did to your mischief, you would already be Hokage." He gave him a friendly pat on the head, ruffling his spiky blond hair. He untied the rope from his wrists. "Come on, we've already wasted too much time."

Naruto walked into class with Iruka behind him. The other students were staring at him, whispering among themselves without looking away from him.

"Hush, class." Iruka said. "Today we will take the Transformation Technique exam. It's a simple jutsu all of you should have already mastered ."

Iruka led the class into the exam room, larger than the usual classroom. Another teacher from the Academy, Mizuki, was waiting for them seated with a gentle smile on his face. The students formed several lines, waiting to be called. Mizuki, sitting next to Iruka, called out the first student, whom he asked to transform into Iruka. The boy brought his hands in front of his chest and made several hand seals with them. He finished the seals by placing the index and middle fingers of both hands up and the rest gathered, while one of his hands grabbed the other. White smoke covered him for an instant, but he was no longer himself, but Iruka.

"Pretty good, Takeo. Although the texture of the vest is not completely accurate, your vest reflects a bit too much light. You must pay more attention to the details if you want to fully master this jutsu."Said Mizuki, with a kind smile."Still, you have passed. Congratulations."

More students performed the technique with varying degrees of skill, but all of them had passed so far. Iruka called out to Naruto, who approached the teachers. He took several deep breaths and emptied his mind. He visualized the image he wanted to show around him, how it would look from every angle; the texture of each surface and material. He brought his hands before him and made the hand seals. Naruto molded his chakra and released it. Behind the white smoke, a female version of Naruto was in his place, completely naked.

"I call this the Erotic Technique. It's cool, right?"

The class burst into laughter, which Iruka took a few moments to silence. Naruto dispelled the technique and regained his usual appearance. Mizuki, pushing his light hair back from his face, caught the attention of his partner, who stopped his scolding.

"It's clearly not what he was asked to do, and it's certainly not an orthodox way of performing the technique, but I think he has shown he can perform it at a more than proper level. I think he deserves to pass."

"I guess you're right, Mizuki." Iruka turned to Naruto. "You pass this test. But stop fooling around, the purpose of this technique is to go unnoticed, not to bring attention to yourself."

Naruto smiled, satisfied that his variant of the Transformation Technique had made him pass. The remaining students took the test, but Naruto didn't pay much attention to them. At the end of the last test, Iruka addressed the class.

"I remind you all that tomorrow is the final test of the graduation exam. Prepare yourself thoroughly and rest well tonight."

Naruto tried to sneak away with the rest of the students. But Iruka, behind him, already had him by the collar of his jacket, lined with white fur.

"Don't think you're getting away from this one, you've asked for it yourself." Iruka handed him a bucket with several rags inside and put a hand on his shoulder, smiling. "The two other times you applied for the graduation exam you were not prepared at all, not even close. Trying to graduate early, skipping years of the Academy, was not a good idea; but I have admit that this time you really are trying. All you need to do is stop being such a rascal and you'll be a full-fledged ninja before I know it."

The sun was beginning to set to the west behind the trees of the great forest. Naruto had been cleaning red paint from the stone for hours. Iruka had made him recite the exploits of the Hokage Lords while wiping their faces.

Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage and co-founder of the village. Leader of the Senju Clan during the end of the Era of the Warring States and master of Wood Release. Winner of the duel against Madara Uchiha, the other founder of the village, during which the intensity of their clash created a valley.

Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage. Brother of the First, he took on the mantle at his brother's death and led the Leaf during the last years of the First Great Ninja War. Founder of the Ninja Academy, the Leaf Military Police and the Chunin Exams. He died honorably on the battlefield against a score of elite ninja from the Cloud Village.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage. Apprentice to the Second, he was chosen by the latter before his death, assuming command of the village at the age of eighteen, becoming the youngest Kage in ninja history. He led the village during the Second and Third Ninja Wars and under his rule, the Leaf achieved great prosperity. He abdicated in favor of the Fourth, and upon his death twelve years ago, he returned to his role as Hokage.

And Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage. An unmatched, unrepeatable hero in history. A genius the likes of which only appears once every hundred years. He shattered the army of the Rock Village during the Third Great Ninja War and thanks to his actions, the war ended in a favorable position for the Leaf, as they forced the other villages to accept an armistice. When the Nine Tailed Fox attacked the Leaf, only his might prevented the village from being destroyed. He died on that night, saving thousands of lives.

It was almost night when Naruto finished cleaning the last remaining paint, which simulated a bugger, under the stony nose of the Fourth. At last everything was clean, even better than before. He could hardly feel his arms.

"Good work," Iruka said. "I thought we'd be up here until tomorrow."

"I don't care, it's not like I have someone waiting for me at home."

"Yeah, me too." Iruka yawned. "I guess I'll have dinner at Ichiraku. I would invite you, but ... you didn't like ramen, did you?" Iruka said, playing dumb.

"Really? Of course I love it!"

Naruto laughed out loud. He had been subsisting for a long time on rice, fruit and vegetables, milk, some eggs here and there, and occasionally some meat or fish. He hadn't eaten at Ichiraku in weeks. It wasn't excessively expensive, but his allowance as an orphan Academy student covered only what was strictly necessary and he had to save up to be able to afford a good meal at the ramen restaurant.

On the main street, which was the backbone of the village, linking the Hokage Rock, to the north, with the main gate, to the south, was the small but cozy Ichiraku. The restaurant was located on the ground floor facing the street, like most commercial establishments and specialized in ramen: a long noodle soup with an endless number of broths and garnishes to choose from. Sitting at the bar, Naruto wolfed down the noodles; unlike Iruka, who ate calmly.

"I don't understand, you know every piece of information, no matter how minute or irrelevant, about the Hokage." said Iruka." As you listed them, you gave the impression that you even admired them. Why then humiliate their memory like that?"

Naruto stopped eating and stared at his bowl, struggling to find the right words to answer his teacher's question.

"Of course I admire them, all of them are the strongest and most revered ninja in the history of the Leaf. I guess it's kind of a statement of intent. One day I too will become Hokage, and I will surpass them all. The people of the village will have no choice but to recognize my strength and my worth then."

Naruto's eyes shone brightly. His smile accentuated the three fine marks that crossed each of his cheeks, reminding of the whiskers of a dog or a cat.

"Master Iruka, can I ask you a favor?"

"Do you want another bowl? Are you still hungry?" said Iruka.

"No, is not that. Can I borrow your forehead protector? ”Naruto said, brandishing his best smile.

Iruka put his hand to his forehead, holding the metal plate of his headband between his thumb and forefinger.

"I'm afraid I can't, Naruto. This is the symbol that you are a true ninja. Tomorrow you can get yours."

"Well ... will you buy me another bowl then?"

With a full belly, something unusual for Naruto, he walked towards his apartment on the outskirts of the village. The caged flames from the streetlights lit the dirt road. After a long walk, he reached his destination. The small apartment, barely occupied by an unmade mat bed, a small stove, a water bucket and a window, awaited for him in darkness. Naruto closed the door behind him and dropped onto the bed. He fell asleep instantly.

Naruto had been preparing thoroughly for months just for this day. He had trained his body and his spirit. He had even read all the scrolls Master Iruka had talked about in class. He couldn't fail. Whatever the final test was, he would overcome it and become a ninja, it was only the first step to become Hokage. Although his grades on theoretical tests were nothing to brag about, in fact he had barely passed them; in the hand to hand combat and weapons tests he had performed better. Naruto had always found he learned best in practical lessons. His overall grades were quite average, but he only needed to pass the final test in order to graduate. Iruka, in front of his students in the classroom, cleared his throat.

"The final test for the graduation exam will be the Clone Technique. Those who perform it successfully will become genin, low rank ninja. To avoid distractions, you will remain in this classroom until you are called to the exam room."

Shit. Shit, shit, shit. If there was one jutsu that could make him fail, it was the Clone Jutsu. He had studied and memorized the seals, the chakra molding; every tiny detail, every little trick that would have made him capable of doing the damn technique. But after five years at the Ninja Academy and months of training exclusively to master the jutsu, he still hadn't been able to perform it correctly even once.

Only the third time he was called did Naruto hear his name. He was shaking and he could feel the sweat that beaded his body from head to toe. The exam room was empty save for a small table, filled with shiny new forehead protectors, behind which Iruka and Mizuki sat. Naruto stood in the middle of the room, closed his eyes and emptied his mind. Only the technique mattered. Only the precise control of his chakra, the perfect performance of the movements of his hands and the molding and release of chakra. Naruto took a deep breath and performed the technique to perfection. He hadn't missed a single detail. He could feel the chakra he had lost in the process and was now at his side.

He opened his eyes with pride, only to see a shape that resembled his own, but devoid of all energy, sprawled on the ground, unable to do anything. Useless.

"You fail." Iruka sentenced.

Naruto closed his eyes, defeated.

"Come on, Iruka. He has passed all the other the tests, and at least he managed to create a duplicate. Maybe we should pass him." Mizuki said smiling.

Naruto couldn't believe it, he still had a chance.

"No way." Iruka said. "All the other students have made at least two clones, and the one Naruto did create can't even move. I cannot pass him."

Naruto left the room without a word. He couldn't believe he was really so useless. Everyone else had done it. Only he was a failure. He had trained so hard, he had really tried this time. He truly believed that if he worked harder than anyone else, he could make it. But it was just a dream. If he didn't graduate, what would become of him? He would never become Hokage, not even a ninja.

In the Academy's courtyard, Naruto watched the other students from a distance; they all wore their headbands. Everyone was happy, celebrating with their family and friends. Even the old Hokage was among them, congratulating the new graduates. Naruto could feel the sidelong glances of many of the adults. He saw them whispering, still looking at him with those eyes he hated so much. He left without looking back and walked aimlessly through the village.

A shock brought him out of his trance. It was Master Mizuki, who said he'd been looking for him. They sat on a stone bench facing the Naka River, which ran through the village. Naruto vented all his frustrations at Mizuki, who was listening attentive. Naruto was on the verge of tears.

"Iruka is a serious guy." said Mizuki."His parents died when he was young and ever since he's had to make a life for himself. It's not that he's hard on you, I think he sees himself reflected in you. Orphaned and alone in the world, trying to make your way in the ninja world. He doesn't want to just give you the headband, but for you to earn it for real. I think you should be able to understand."

"I still wish I could have graduated. This time I had really tried."

Mizuki put his hand on Naruto's shoulder and got close to him.

"In that case, I think I can trust you with a secret."

The full moon was shining in the night sky of the Leaf, lighting up the wooden buildings with a silvery light. Naruto had managed to find the chamber full of scrolls Mizuki had told him about. He had had to wait hidden behind some bushes near the Hokage's residence all afternoon, until he found a small gap during the changing of the guard so he could infiltrate the building. Navigating its halls in complete darkness and complete silence was even more difficult, but he had finally found the room and taken one of the old man's scrolls. He could still become a ninja, but he had to be stealthy and avoid detection at all costs.

"Naruto? What are you doing here at this time?"

Shit. Naruto slowly turned around. The Third, with a candle in his hand, looked at him from behind a wisp of smoke rising from his pipe. He couldn't escape the old man. He was facing one of the most feared ninja in history. He had grown to old age, something very few men with his military background could boast about. The people of the village called him The Professor. It was said that he knew all the techniques of the Leaf. Naruto smiled to himself. All but one. He made the seal and his image disappeared into the smoke, to give way to a young woman with long blond hair and perfect anatomical measurements. The old man never had a chance. Taking advantage of the confusion, Naruto had fled the room before the Third's pipe hit the ground. Running and leaping over the rooftops, he headed for a small grove beyond the village's wall, where he could carry out his objective without distractions.

Too focused on getting to a remote place undetected, Naruto didn't realize someone was already following him.

Lying on his bed and wearing only a light robe he wore to sleep, Iruka tossed and turned in bed. He couldn't stop thinking about the words the Third had shared with him on the morning, after the graduation ceremony. The venerable village leader informed him that he agreed with his decision not to pass Naruto, but also encouraged him not to be too harsh on the boy. He was already the target of resentment of many people in the village, civilian and ninja alike, and this only increased with each and every one of Naruto's mischiefs. The Third and him agreed that Naruto was only doing it to get the people's attention, who would otherwise stay away and ignore him. Naruto might act like he didn't care, but Iruka knew the boy hurt on the inside. The Third warned him that they could not allow themselves for Naruto to get carried away by his emotions and do something foolish; that Iruka should understand his student better than anyone, since he was not very different from him in his childhood.

His childhood. Iruka lost his childhood at age ten, on that night when fire and smoke overshadowed the very stars and the wind carried the scent of suffering and death. He could still feel the terror of the moment he saw the village's wall blow up, as that demon howled furiously and waved its nine tails. His parents stood guard in the southern area, the one closest to the main gate. They could never find even a measly identifiable remnant of them. Like many people after the attack, Iruka had to bury two empty coffins.

Repeated knocks on his door snapped him out of his stupor. It was Mizuki, who was breathing heavily.

"We have to go to the Third immediately. Naruto has gone too far this time, he has stolen one of the First Hokage's forbidden scrolls."

Iruka's heart skipped a beat. It was impossible, Naruto shouldn't even know about the existence of those scrolls, much less their location. Mizuki was right, the situation could be catastrophic. He dressed in a hurry and leapt over the rooftops, traversing the village alongside Mizuki in minutes. When they reached the square under Hokage Rock, several dozen ninja surrounded the Third, who was already briefing them on the situation.

"... details a technique forbidden by the Second, which we cannot allow to fall into the hands of the enemy. We are considering the option that Naruto is working for a foreign agent, with the intention of stealing our secrets, but we do not rule out any other possibility."

The Third seemed unaffected by the seriousness of the matter, but Iruka thought he sensed a certain nervousness behind his iron expression.

"Naruto has been in possession of the scroll for almost an hour, we must find him as soon as possible."

The host of ninja scattered in all directions to search the entire village and its surroundings. Iruka was considering various places where Naruto might have been hiding, but his intuition told him that he would be in a small grove to the southwest of the village, near the training areas past the river. Iruka had followed Naruto there the first time he took and failed his graduation exam, two years ago, and he had seen him head in that direction many times. He had to hurry, if other ninja found him before he did, who knows what they might do to him under the cover of night?

Mizuki couldn't believe how lucky he was. Everything he had planned had gone perfectly, so much that it almost scared him. Any of the scrolls in the Third's chamber would be worth a fortune to any ninja village. They would earn him admission and even a position of importance, but the First's scrolls were by far the most valuable. Any of the techniques detailed in them could make him an elite ninja and defect and join any village of his choosing, or serve a feudal lord as his personal elite guard. No, he could become a lord himself; rule his own country and live like a king for the rest of his days. The world was his. And only an orphan child, alone in a secluded forest at night, whom no one would miss, stood in his way.

Naruto had spent hours putting into practice the teachings of the scroll, written by the hand of the First Hokage himself. When he unrolled the scroll and saw it detailed the Shadow Clone Jutsu, he was about to give up and return the scroll to old Hokage, but he knew there was no going back anymore. If he couldn't learn the jutsu before they found him, he might never become a ninja, and that was even more unbearable for him than all the clone techniques in the world put together. Unlike the boring scrolls that Naruto used to have to read at the Academy, the First Hokage was clear and concise in his explanations. His annotations were especially helpful.

He had not yet been able to perform the technique, but he believed he understood how it worked. Unlike a common Clone Technique, which created disembodied copies of the user at the cost of a small part of their chakra, this jutsu used much more chakra and divided the remainder equally between the number of copies and the original. This made the copies acquire physical solidity, making them exact replicas of the ninja who used the technique.

Naruto wiped the sweat off his forehead with the sleeve of his jacket, which, like the rest of his clothes, was too big for him, so he always wore the orange sleeves and pants rolled up. The sun would not be long in coming out. He needed to hurry up.

After hours of searching the vast expanse of forest that surrounded the village, Iruka found his student sitting on the grass, his eyes closed and his hands forming a seal. Naruto took a few seconds to notice his presence.

"I finally find you, what the hell were you thinking?" Iruka said.

"Master Iruka, I've almost learned the scroll's technique. If I can do it you have to let me pass, right?" Naruto said, grinning from ear to ear.

"What? Have you been studying the scroll?" Iruka breathed in relief. Naruto might be an irresponsible and stubborn kid, but at least he hadn't tried to steal the scroll. He just wanted to show him that he could learn a jutsu so he could graduate. The poor boy looked tired. "Naruto, how could you possibly know about the forbidden scrolls?"

Naruto laughed and rolled up the scroll. He secured it at his waist, between his jacket and the blue cloth belt tied around his waist.

"Master Mizuki told me everything. Now I just have to do the technique and I'll be a full-fledged ninja. Here goes nothing..."

Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He crossed the index and middle fingers of both hands in front of his face, and began to mold his chakra. Suddenly, a blow to the side lifted him off the ground. Not a blow, a push. Naruto opened his eyes to see in horror Iruka with several kunai, throwing knives, stuck in various parts of his body. He had his back against a tree with even more kunai nailed to the trunk. Naruto calculated the point of origin of the kunai and directed his gaze towards the branches of a nearby tree, where Mizuki's figure stood tall.

"Give me the scroll, Naruto." There was no smile on Mizuki's face anymore.

Iruka tore away and wielded one of the kunai embedded in his reinforced vest, which had protected his torso from the knives.

"Naruto ... Whatever happens, don't even think about giving it to him. That scroll contains a forbidden technique, it's very dangerous. Mizuki used you in order to steal it."

Iruka's dark clothing was beginning to stick to his body in the areas he had been stabbed by the knives, returning reddish reflections of moonlight.

"Don't listen to him, kid. Iruka despises you as much as the rest of the village, perhaps even more. Everyone hates you, don't tell me you've never noticed." Mizuki's face had lost all kindness. "Do you want to know the reason for all that hatred against you? I'll tell you..."

"Shut up, Mizuki," Iruka yelled, breathing fast.

"It's time for the boy to know, Iruka." Mizuki turned to Naruto. "Twelve years ago, after Kyuubi's attack, in order for the truth to never reach your ears, the Third decreed a law that you should never have known about. A law that forbids talking about you being the Nine Tailed Fox. You killed Iruka's parents and almost destroyed the village."

Iruka's screams echoed in his head, but Naruto couldn't understand what he was saying. Was he Kyuubi? No, that didn't make any sense. He came to the village weeks after the attack. Or so he had always been told.

"How is that possible?"

"The Fourth sealed the demon within your body. You've been lied to your whole life, kid. That is why everyone in the village treats you with contempt. That's why everyone hates you. That's why no one is ever going to love you."

Mizuki wielded the huge shuriken he carried on his back, a star-shaped throwing weapon, the four points of which were each the length of his forearm. The weapon began to spin in his hand, flowing with the movements of his arm.

Naruto felt the fire of the tears running down his cheeks. He didn't want to believe it, but deep down inside he knew that Mizuki was telling the truth. He was a monster, a murderer. Of course people hated him. How could anyone ever forgive a monster like him?

Mizuki threw the huge shuriken towards Naruto. The young blond closed his eyes. If this was to be his death, he just hoped it would be quick. A monster like him didn't deserve to live. He barely felt any pain. Just a light blow, and his body falling onto the grass. Perhaps in death he could atone for his sins. Perhaps once dead, no one would have a reason to hate him anymore. Something small, warm, and wet fell on his face. Opening his eyes, Naruto saw Iruka's face, bleeding from his mouth. He seemed to be about to collapse. Naruto scrambled back on all fours to avoid being trapped under him.

Iruka had the enormous shuriken embedded into his back, at the level of his left shoulder blade. Unlike the kunai, the huge throwing star had penetrated Iruka's vest, which was being dyed red with his blood. Naruto was unable to understand it. Iruka hated him. He had killed his parents. He should hate him.

"Why?" Naruto said.

Iruka flopped onto his side and Naruto approached him. His teacher looked at him with crying eyes.

"After my parents died, I was alone; with no one to even acknowledge my existence. I wasn't a good student, so I became the class clown. Laughter and mocking were better than nothing at all, but inside of me there was only pain."

Tears overflowed Iruka's eyes and fell down his face. Iruka rested his hand gently on Naruto's.

"I know you know that pain too, maybe if I had been a better teacher you wouldn't have had to endure it alone."

Naruto ran off, leaving Iruka behind, trying to get to the village. But he knew he would never make it before Mizuki caught up to him.

Iruka, lying on the ground, watched Mizuki descend from the trees and advance towards him like a predator towards a wounded prey.

"Even after that sentimental speech, it doesn't seem like you've changed anything inside the boy. He's probably thinking of using the scroll to get revenge on the village. I wouldn't blame him. You've seen him, that kid's got the eyes of a demon."

Iruka struggled to his feet, and with pain, he extracted the huge piece of steel stuck in his back. The great shuriken fell to the ground almost soundlessly, muffled by the grass. Iruka knew that he was at a great disadvantage against Mizuki. The bastard had played his cards very well. Iruka tried to move towards his old friend, if only to be able to delay him for a moment, but his left leg failed him and he fell to his knees. Mizuki laughed out loud.

"When I've killed the boy and recovered the scroll, I will return to say goodbye to you."

Iruka watched helpless as Mizuki leapt through the trees in the direction Naruto had fled.

Hiruzen had made a habit out of imagining all possible misfortunes in order to prepare for them before they ever arrived. In his almost seventy years in this world he had only discovered one absolute certainty: misfortunes always came. He went out before the ninja that were crowding before his door, who were waiting for him with no news of Naruto's whereabouts. He walked slowly, guarded by a man with completely white eyes and a woman with crimson colored fang marks on both cheeks. Of all the Leaf's ninja clans, the Hyuuga and Inuzuka were by far the best trackers. The abilities of both had been key to finding out the location of Naruto and what exactly was the situation they were facing. Hiruzen's presence silenced his men, who watched him and his two companions with great attention.

"We have found Naruto's location. It seems that the boy has not betrayed the village, but has been deceived by one of our own men: the chunin Mizuki.

The surrounding ninja couldn't hide their astonishment from his old eyes.

"Mizuki has betrayed us, and even worse, we believe he has broken the law and told Naruto that which is forbidden to speak about. If that is the case, Naruto must be more frightened right now than we can imagine. We leave immediately, follow me."

His old bones snapped as he jumped hard, landing on the nearest roof. With several dozen ninja at his back, Hiruzen leapt from rooftop to rooftop in Naruto's direction. An extreme panic like the one the boy now felt could break the seal that held Kyuubi prisoner. The chances of that happening were slim, but the elderly Hokage couldn't help but consider that option, and the dire consequences it would entail. Perhaps it was also true that old habits died hard.

The blond haired youth ran through the trees, gasping for air. He stopped by a tree, and leaned on its trunk. Iruka's form emerged from the shadows, slowly approaching him.

"You have to give me the scroll. Mizuki won't be long in finding us."

Several kunai flew from the youngster's hands in the direction of Iruka, who dodged them without too much trouble. The young Academy teacher laughed.

"How is it possible, boy?" A light smoke released from Mizuki's body the false image of Iruka that he had projected with the Transformation Technique. "How did you know I wasn't Iruka?"

Lying against the tree, the image of Naruto vanished into smoke.

"Because I am."

Iruka was exhausted, chasing and trying to locate Naruto had cost him his last reserves of chakra, as well as all his strength. His death at the hands of Mizuki seemed inevitable now, but perhaps he had been able to buy Naruto a few precious minutes. That thought drew a faint smile on Iruka's face. He could die in peace.

Naruto hid behind a tree the very instant he saw himself running through the forest. It was Iruka, who had assumed his appearance and had managed to fool Mizuki, who had assumed Iruka's. It was all very confusing. It looked like they hadn't noticed him yet, but Naruto couldn't move or do anything without giving away his position, just a few meters from the two chunin. Mizuki's laughter chilled his blood.

"You are pathetic, Iruka. To transform into the murderer of your parents, and for what? To protect him? Stupid. The boy is like me. If he can, he'll use the scroll for his own gain. He is probably thinking about finishing what he started twelve years ago."

"Yes, I suppose you'd be right..." Iruka said.

Naruto's heart skipped a beat.

"... Kyuubi would use the scroll to get revenge on the Leaf. But Naruto is not like that. He may not seem like he is trying all that hard, and he is somewhat clumsy and unruly, but I consider him one of my most precious students. No one accepts him, and he's already known too much pain in his short life; but you're wrong, Mizuki. He is not the Nine Tailed Demon Fox, he is a member of the Hidden Leaf Village. His name is Naruto."

Tears rushed down Naruto's cheeks. He felt a small fire sprout in his chest, it was a warm and comforting feeling. The sun would rise any minute. Naruto could hear Mizuki's growls of frustration.

"I told you I would say goodbye to you after finishing with the kid, but I think I'm going to finish you off first." said Mizuki. "Goodbye, old friend."

Mizuki brandished a kunai and lunged at Iruka. Taking advantage of the surprise factor, Naruto intercepted him and managed to knee him in the face.

"If you touch Master Iruka again, I will kill you."

"Why did you save me, Naruto? You should have escaped." Iruka said.

Mizuki stood up, laughing. He wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, Naruto's blow had barely hurt him.

"Against trash like you, one hit will do!" Mizuki looked out of control.

Naruto, without losing sight of Mizuki, crossed his index and middle fingers of both hands in front of his face.

"No matter what you do, I'll return any harm a thousand times over."

He molded the chakra as he had never done before, guided by the storm of emotions that thundered within him. The rage against Mizuki. The desperation to protect Iruka. The determination to get to see the new day and fulfill his promise to become a ninja. Naruto performed the technique. Hundreds of replicas of Naruto filled the grove, surrounding Mizuki from all sides. Each of them felt the same rage, all of their minds were one. They all pounced at the chunin. Mizuki managed to defeat several of them, which dissolved into small clouds of white smoke after being injured. But he could do nothing when he was overwhelmed by hundreds of attacks from all sides. The fight ended in seconds. Mizuki lay on the ground unconscious and covered in his own blood. Naruto dispelled the jutsu and staggered over to Iruka, who was staring at him with eyes wide open.

The sun began to illuminate the sky over the treetops, bathing the forest in a soft, warm light.

"I think I'm overdone, I can hardly feel my body." Naruto smiled at his teacher.

Iruka smiled back.

"Come closer, there's something I want to give you." Iruka untied the headband from his forehead and put it on Naruto's hands. "Congratulations, Naruto. From this day on you are a ninja."

Naruto put on Iruka's forehead protector. His forehead protector. He had no more tears to cry. He lunged at Iruka and hugged him tightly, laughing with pure joy. Iruka complained about the pain, so Naruto eased the pressure, but kept hugging him. After a long moment, he helped him up.

The forest was filled with Leaf ninja in an instant, led by the old Hokage.

"Looks like we're late." The Third said, rubbing his white goatee as he gazed at the headband on Naruto's forehead.

A burly ninja tied Mizuki's hands and feet, and carried him on his shoulders, still unconscious. Naruto released the scroll from his belt and bowed, presenting it to the Third.

"I'm sorry I borrowed it without permission, Lord Hokage. Mizuki tricked me so he could steal it."

The Hokage tucked the scroll under his long red robe.

"Yes, that's what we suspected. Perhaps we should have also assumed that you could take care of it, Naruto." said the Third smiling, and winked at Naruto." Let's go back to the village."

Iruka walked towards the village helped by Naruto. Several ninja offered to take him, but he politely declined their offers. Most of the group escorting the Third set out for the village on their own, including the one carrying Mizuki. With any luck, the traitorous chunin would only spend the rest of his days in prison. Slowly, guarded by half a dozen ninja and the Hokage, they reached the village's huge main gate.

"When I get out of the hospital, I'll invite you for lunch at Ichiraku." Iruka said.

"And after my first mission, I'll invite you back." replied Naruto.

He thought about warning Naruto that his journey as a ninja had only just begun, and that the hardships would only increase from now on, but he thought he could wait until after the ramen. They both laughed, walking through the streets of the Hidden Leaf Village, which was beginning to wake up bathed in the morning sun's light.


	2. Konohamaru Sarutobi

After a good dinner at Ichiraku, Naruto and Iruka sat on a stone bench in one of the many squares of the Hidden Leaf Village. They saw people come and go, and how the lights went out, one by one, behind the windows of houses and establishments alike. It had been a long day, Iruka spent most of it in the hospital, and Naruto barely stood away from him. He only stepped away while his wounds were being treated and bandaged.

Medical ninja were capable of healing many wounds that would otherwise lead to permanent injury or even death, so Iruka was ready to leave the hospital before sunset. He would have to rest and not move too much for several weeks for his injuries to fully heal, but the course at the Academy had ended the day before and the new one wouldn't start until the next month, so he would have plenty of rest.

They both gazed at the moon in silence. Iruka turned to his student and stared at him.

"I don't want to ruin the moment, but I'd feel like I'm not doing my job if I didn't let you know what's coming next." Iruka said. "The five years you have spent at the Academy are going to be the easiest of your entire life as a ninja. In a couple of days you will be assigned two genin teammates and a teacher; a jonin if you are fortunate, or a chunin who wants to gather merits to get promoted to jonin, if you aren't so lucky. From then on you will carry out missions for the village with them until you are promoted to chunin, and then you will continue to carry out missions, alone or with other ninja, until you can ascend to jonin, which will only increase the difficulty of the missions. Your days will be long and full of perils."

Naruto remained silent and turned his gaze downwards.

"It doesn't matter, I won't give up." Naruto said. "I will overcome every test and any danger that crosses my path, because at the end is the title of Hokage. I will climb every single step, no matter how difficult or painful, until I fulfill my dream."

Iruka laughed, making a pained face because of his injuries.

"I see there's no way to lower your spirits even a bit." Iruka put a hand on his shoulder. "I wish you all the best, and that you become a man worthy of your dream."

Naruto accompanied Iruka to his apartment in the northeast part of the village, near the Hyuga Clan's compound and the orphanage where Naruto grew up ,and then walked westward to his flat, where he fell asleep instantly on contact with the bed.

The light coming into the small apartment through the window woke Naruto up. He walked over to his bucket of water and drank heartily from the ladle, which he left dangling from the bucket's wooden handle. There wasn't much water left, he would have to fill it soon.

He noticed that something smelled bad, it was both him and his clothes. They gave off a faint but unpleasant smell of blood, sweat, and dirt. He hadn't had time to wash after the scroll incident.

Iruka had told him over dinner the night before that he needed to have a portrait done and to present his registration file to the Hokage. He had repeated several times what he had to do, he did not want him to miss a single detail.

It was still early, so after carefully filling in the blank spaces of the file and checking a couple of times that everything was in order, he decided to head to the nearest well to fill his water bucket. Going from his flat to the well was a much a faster journey than the returning one. The full bucket weighed like an anvil, and Naruto had to stop several times to rest, but he didn't care too much, it was a good workout. Once the bucket was in place, Naruto took the forehead protector Iruka had given him and after putting it inside his jacket, he went out again.

He walked through dirt streets and over wooden bridges, which ran over the many canals that supplied water to all the districts of the Leaf. The canals, created by the Leaf ninja using jutsu, fed on the Naka River, which crossed the southern part of the village from east to west. After a while walking among animal-drawn wagons carrying all manner goods to the shops in the commercial district, he reached the public baths, located northwest of the village in the hot springs that flowed from the base of the Hokage Rock.

After paying and entering the baths, he undressed and left his clothes in the laundry, as well as the forehead protector. The woman at the counter offered to change the cloth headband, but Naruto asked her to simply wash it. He would not part with Iruka's forehead protector if he had other options. The warmth of the water relaxed his muscles, and his mind soon followed. It would take a while for his clothes to be clean and dry, so he was in no rush. He thoroughly cleansed his body with soap, from his blond hair to his feet.

When he was done, he gathered up his clothes, fresh and clean. He put on his orange pants, which he rolled up. Then the black undershirt, tight to the body, with the left part over the right and fastened with a thin cloth string. He tucked the bottom of it into his pants and adjusted them well. Then the jacket, which he put on in the same way as the inner shirt and fastened with the blue belt. Before leaving, he rolled up the sleeves of his jacket and tied the straw rope sandals to his feet. He went back to his apartment to pick up the registration file. Missing only the portrait, he left for the center of the village.

Naruto waited impatiently for his turn in line on the cobbled floor of the main street, where merchants loudly announced the prices at which they offered their rice, always a couple of ryo cheaper than the adjoining stalls. He recognized several fellow Academy members, but kept at a distance, as they also made no effort to get closer.

Many people came from all corners of the village, even from the rest of the Land of Fire, just to see Genzo. He was a former ninja, who retired years ago due to the loss of a leg and now was dedicated to using his ninja techniques, which made use of ink to which he infused his chakra, to make portraits. He was the village's official portraitist, tasked with portraying newly graduated ninja for their registration file.

Naruto had planned to have his portrait done in face paint, like the ones worn by heroes in the plays he saw each year on the anniversary festivities of the Leaf's founding. When he told his idea to Iruka, he scolded him, emphasizing how important the registration was and that the Third would make him repeat it if he wasn't satisfied. It was noon when his turn came. Genzo sat in a corner of the room, fiddling with cans of different colored inks, stored in bamboo tubes.

"Money ahead." said the old man.

"I came to have my portrait done for the ninja registration, I understood that I wouldn't have to pay."

Genzo looked him up and down for a few moments.

"I assumed you were a civilian, I don't see your forehead protector." The man's tone was slightly accusatory.

Naruto pulled the headband from inside his jacket and proudly showed it to the portrait painter.

"I didn't want it to get dirty before the team assignment ."

Genzo seemed to lower his guard.

"Okay, give me your name so I can cross you off my list." Genzo unfurled a scroll he had at hand.

"My name is Naruto."

Genzo betrayed the slightest twitch at the sound of his name. He searched his list for a moment that became uncomfortably long.

"Here you are. Last on the list. Please sit down."

Genzo had a friendly but forced smile. Naruto had seen too many in the faces of the inhabitants of the Leaf, especially in shopkeepers and other workers who had to deal with their clients. Now at least he understood the reason for that behavior.

Naruto sat on the stool the old man told him to. Genzo took a thin wooden sheet from a pile of them and placed it on his low table, leaning it against a support. He prepared to begin, bringing his hands together in front of him. But he stopped and sighed, looking down.

"You should put on your headband for the portrait. It's not really important, but that's how the Hokage likes it. I wouldn't want to get you into trouble." The man no longer smiled forcibly, he simply had a natural expression. Naruto relaxed a bit and tied the headband around his head.

Genzo, sitting on a cushion and surrounded by bamboo tubes, made several hand seals quick and fluidly. Drops of ink of all colors began to rise and in an instant, rushed against the tablet. The old man made another seal and relaxed. After examining the tablet for a few seconds, he picked it up and seemed satisfied with his work. He handed it to Naruto. It was like looking in a mirror.

"It's done." said the old man. "By the way, congratulations on graduating and good luck with the Third."

"Thanks, Mr. Genzo."

When Naruto left the store with a slight smile, there was still a long line waiting. He walked up the main street towards the administration building at the foot of the Hokage Rock. He thought about taking off the forehead protector, but chose to wait until after seeing the old man, trusting Genzo's advice. When he arrived, he had to wait again, although there were only a handful of genin stragglers who had not yet turned in their file; or perhaps they had and the Third told them to repeat it. An assistant to the Hokage called him by name and Naruto followed him to the room where the Third was. The assistant sat to the right of the Hokage and Naruto took the center of the room, facing the two men.

Hiruzen had developed the habit of examining every detail of the new files in the registry. A misspelling or a wrong number had no place in the ninja system. In the nearly fifty years he had served as Hokage, he hadn't allowed a single, less than perfect file, to mix with all the others. These bore witness to the history of the Leaf, from Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, to Naruto, who stood before him, clearly nervous.

Hiruzen was pleasantly surprised, the file was just perfect. He had assumed the portrait would be some crude childishness, but it was completely to his liking: straight ahead, perfect visibility of the face and the forehead protector proudly on its place.

In a few years, when Naruto had grown up, the file would have to be updated, though not just the portrait and mission record. Name and ancestry would be the most striking additions, but Hiruzen banished those thoughts from his mind. There were still years to get there and perhaps it would be up to his successor. At his age it was a possibility to consider. Hiruzen got up.

"Everything seems fine, Naruto. From this moment on you are officially a ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village."

Naruto was the ninja number 12607 of the Leaf. Sixty-five years separated him from the village's founding. In moments like this, Hiruzen really felt the weight of the years. The door to the hallway opened just so slightly, barely a couple millimeters. Hiruzen tensed for a fraction of a second, but then relaxed. There were no real threats anymore. A small part of him wished he had never left the battlefield.

Naruto instinctively turned his head towards the door, which had suddenly opened. A boy, maybe eight or nine years old, wearing a long blue scarf, burst into the room pointing at the Third.

"I challenge you, old man!" said the boy, advancing with a shuriken in his hand, and stumbling on his long scarf, crashing down on the wooden floor.

The kid dropped the shuriken in his fall, and put his hands to his face, which was beginning to redden. His eyes began to water, but he held back the tears and scanned the room with quick movements of his head. His gaze fell on Naruto, whom he glared accusingly.

"Are you the one who tripped me up?" The kid approached him as he picked up his scarf, flipping it over his small shoulders.

He faced Naruto, mean-mugging him. It looked pretty ridiculous. Naruto grabbed the kid from his scarf and stared back at him.

"Why would I? You tripped over yourself, jerk." Naruto said.

The boy was now looking at him on the verge of tears.

"Konohamaru, stop playing. You should be home training." said the Third with the palm of one hand over his face.

The kid was the Third's grandson. Naruto knew he had had a couple of children, but nothing of any grandchildren. Konohamaru's face took on an arrogant smile.

"Come on, hit me in front of my grandfather if you dare." Konohamaru whispered.

Naruto gave him a rap on the head that loosened the high ponytail in which his brown hair was tied. He did not care who his grandfather was, the kid was an idiot and had earned it.

Hiruzen mediated between the two boys. Youth exhausted him. He excused Naruto with a cordial greeting, who left the room after the assistant. He turned to his grandson, who was tying up his hair again, and knelt until he had him face to face.

"You have to stop doing these silly things or I'll find you a private tutor who won't detach from your shadow for even a moment."

Konohamaru's face revealed that the idea horrified him.

"I'm sorry grandpa, it won't happen again."

Konohamaru bowed before him and quietly left the room with his head low. This had been the twentieth surprise challenge of the week. Hiruzen had to laugh. Konohamaru was still a child, and would remain like that for a few more years. Sometimes he forgot that times change, and these were times of peace, not the constant conflict of his youth. He knew his grandson would not go home, he would most likely follow Naruto. He just hoped Naruto's brand of mischief wouldn't rub off on him.

Naruto was walking towards his flat, wondering when would that brat stop following him, and if he could at least have the decency to hide without leaving half his body in plain sight. Fed up with the kid, he turned and faced him, crouching next to the wheel of a stopped cart, through which he must have thought he couldn't be seen.

"Would you stop following me? I could see you from miles away and you don't even worry about not making noise."

"Well, I think you should know that I passed the first year of the Academy with the best grades of the entire course." Konohamaru stuck his tongue out with a mocking grin on his face. "It seems that the rumors about your skill were true. I propose a deal, teach me the Aerobic Technique that defeated grandpa, and in return, I'll let you be my boss."

Naruto watched the boy kneeling in front of him. He could use someone to do his dirty work: groceries, cleaning the apartment, filling the water bucket; and even more so now that he was about to start doing missions.

"Boss, huh?" Naruto said. "I like the sound of that. Alright, I'll teach you the Erotic Technique. It is "Erotic", not "Aerobic"."

Konohamaru started bouncing and spinning around him as he made his way back to his apartment.

An hour later, the floor was clean and sparkling. Naruto was lying on his bed waiting for the boy to return with the groceries. The child was a pain in the neck, always making noise and annoying him. Was this how the people of the village saw Naruto? Maybe he should start behaving like an adult and leave the childish pranks behind, after all, he was now a full-fledged ninja.

There was a knocking on the door, so Naruto opened it. The kid came across the threshold loaded like a mule, carrying a bag of rice bigger than him on the back and several small bags filled with dried fish and meat on his arms. He had to admit that he was a hardworking kid. Sitting on the ground, Konohamaru tried to catch his breath.

"Not bad, kid. Every week you will come here and I'll inform you of your tasks."

"Sure thing, boss. Now, teach me the Erotic Technique."

"Okay, but let's go somewhere else, I usually get scolded if they catch me using it in a park or anywhere near people."

Konohamaru trained with Naruto in a secluded grove. He could only think about the curves. Naruto had told him that the key to the Erotic Technique was in the curves. Konohamaru concentrated on the image he was going to project. Lots of curves, the more the better. He made the hand seals, molded and released the chakra. White smoke covered him for an instant, to reveal his new form, with which he would definitely defeat his grandfather.

"No, stop it!" Naruto covered his face with his hands.

Konohamaru dispelled the jutsu, he didn't understand what could have gone wrong.

"What's up boss? Not curvy enough?" Konohamaru gestured curves with his hands in the air, as Naruto had done when explaining the technique.

"On the contrary. You have completely overdone it." Naruto gestured in the air again. "I told you "curves", what you've done is "fat". Very different things. Also, you shouldn't neglect the face; although it's not the main focus, you must not lose sight of the whole. In jutsu of this caliber, the key lies in the details.

They continued training while Naruto corrected him and explained the details of the technique again.

It would not be long before sunset, and Naruto's young apprentice was exhausted. They sat on a fallen log and rested. The kid was talented, he already all but mastered the Transformation Jutsu after only his first year at the Academy; it cost Naruto more than two, and he had a solid Erotic Technique in just an afternoon of training. It shouldn't surprise him, after all, he was the Third's grandson.

"Hey, kid, what's the point of challenging your grandfather?"

Konohamaru looked away and was silent for a few seconds.

"I didn't get to know my parents, grandpa raised me. He gave me my name. It means "leaf boy", he named me in honor of the village. Everybody here knows my name, but nobody calls me by it, they don't see me as just myself, but as the Hokage's grandson. I'm fed up. That's why I challenge him, to defeat him and become Hokage. Then everyone will recognize me for myself."

Naruto understood well Konohamaru's feelings.

"No one will recognize an annoying kid. Trust me, I've tried. And besides, the title of Hokage is not something so easy to achieve, it is not some child's play. You want to be Hokage? Get in line. If you really want to get to the top, you will have to beat me first."

Konohamaru jumped to his feet and stared at him.

"Of course I'm going to beat you. I will master the Erotic Technique and every and all jutsu, and then I'll give you the beating of your life. Let's keep training, boss."

Naruto got up, prepared to continue.

"I've finally found you guys." said the Third, standing on a tree branch. "It seems like you've been training hard, Konohamaru."

The elderly Hokage stepped down from the branch and approached his grandson. Konohamaru jumped away and made hand seals, facing his grandfather.

"This will be the last challenge, grandpa."

White smoke covered him for an instant, then revealed the image of a slender young woman with dark hair. Naruto could be proud of his skills as a teacher, it was a perfect Erotic Technique. The Third immediately turned red, but stepped forward and gave the boy a rap on the head, which dispelled the transformation.

Konohamaru stared aghast at his grandfather, then at Naruto.

"How is it possible? Your Erotic Technique beat him, why hasn't mine affected him at all?

The Third laughed.

"Against an elite ninja, the same trick won't work twice."

The kid was right, Naruto had managed to outwit the Third with the Erotic Technique, perhaps it wasn't such a useless trick after all. Alright, one last try wouldn't hurt, one going all in. Naruto stepped in between grandfather and grandson, making a seal with his index and middle fingers.

"Is that so, huh? Well, I'll show you something new."

Naruto created a dozen Shadow Clones and each of them performed the Erotic Technique. All the girls, blonde and naked, pounced on the old Third.

"It's the Harem Technique, do you like it?" they all said in unison.

A dozen raps on the head of the Third dispelled all the clones and the real Naruto's transformation, who now rubbed the top of his head with his hands. There was nothing left but to surrender to the evidence, childish pranks would be of no use to him in the real world.

Konohamaru hopped around Naruto and his grandfather.

"That was amazing! You almost beat grandpa with your new technique, boss. I'll push the Erotic Technique to the limit until it becomes invincible and can defeat even grandpa." Konohamaru said laughing.

"It won't be that easy, kid. The Erotic Technique is just a trick. If you really want to become a Hokage, you'll have to go beyond it." Naruto said, not just to Konohamaru.

"B-beyond?" Konohamaru looked at him, not seeming to understand.

"If you really want the entire village to recognize your worth, simple tricks won't do you any good. You're going to have to get stronger for real, no tricks or shortcuts."

"Well said, Naruto." said the Third, smiling." It's getting quite late, how about we dine at Ichiraku?

Naruto and Konohamaru looked at each other and started jumping out of pure joy. Naruto had barely been a ninja for a day and was already going to have dinner at Ichiraku for the third night in a row. It was certainly a good omen.

On the main street, whose activity waned down along with the evening sun, Naruto, the Third and Konohamaru ate ramen to their stomach's content. For the Hokage and his grandson, that meant a bowl each, which the boy had a hard time finishing. Naruto, on the other hand, devoured three bowls with extra servings of meat. He sighed and put his hands to his belly, smiling. He felt a slight tug on his left sleeve.

"I've made up my mind." Konohamaru said, with a solemnity foreign to him. "If we both want to be Hokage, you can't keep being my boss. From now on, we are rivals."

Naruto got up and smiled. The kid was beginning to grow on him.

"Well, you better hurry, because tomorrow I'll be assigned a team, the first step on my carrer as a ninja. But I know one day you'll make it too, and then we'll fight for the title. I'm already looking forward to it, Konohamaru."

They walked together to the Third's residence, near the big square at the feet of the Hokage Rock. The Third told his grandson to say goodbye to Naruto, as it was late and he had to go to bed. Konohamaru reluctantly obeyed his grandfather. Naruto was left alone with the Third. What had happened two days earlier had raised many questions in him, and he knew if anyone had the answers, it would be the Hokage. The old man blew out a wisp of smoke as he gazed at the stars.

"Lord Third, I have some questions." Naruto said.

"Yes, I imagined you would. That's why I wanted to talk to you in private, but it's been a busy couple of days."

Naruto tried to express his thoughts, but the words were stuck inside his chest. The Third was looking at him comfortingly, without rushing him to speak. He put a hand on his shoulder, which calmed him a bit.

"Why me?" Naruto said.

"Much more happened on that night than may ever be known, Naruto." said the Third. "After dousing the flames and bringing as many victims to safety as we could, I led a search team to find the Fourth. When we found him, he lied dying, due to the technique he used to seal the Demon Fox inside of you. Before he died, he confessed to me his wish that the village should see you as a hero and not as the demon inside you."

"I don't understand. If he could seal it in a newborn baby, why couldn't he seal it inside of himself? That way Kyuubi would have died with him, right?

"I'm afraid not. When Kyuubi, or any of the tailed beasts are defeated, they may disappear for a while, but it is not possible to actually kill them. Other times in the past has happened that a dead beast reappeared in some years time. I guess it was the only thing he could do. Had he seal the demon inside of himself, the Fourth's death would have been for nothing."

"So my parents died the night of the attack, they didn't abandon me?"

The Third looked at him with eyes that to Naruto seemed to reveal sadness.

"I'm afraid so." said the Third. "I know this is neither easy nor fair for you, but I want you to understand that none of the decisions we made, both the Fourth and I, were any easy. They were terrible decisions, but they were the only ones we could make to prevent the Leaf's utter destruction. The weeks that followed the attack were the most crucial in the history of our village. In addition to the lives lost and the arduous rebuilding efforts, a newborn blond boy was leaked to be the vessel of Kyuubi. It was one of the ninja who accompanied me that night, although I never found out which one. Rumors began to circulate. The civilians, ignorant of the ninja arts, said the boy was Kyuubi reincarnated; others, that he was the son of Kyuubi. And the ninja, who had a better idea of the nature of your bond with the demon, had too much hatred in their hearts due to the harshness of the attack. Adding to the uproar in the village, the other ninja villages, encouraged by the Fourth's demise and the Leaf's moment of weakness, began to make moves to ensure our destruction. I was forced to make an atrocious decision. To quell the rumors and secure our village's image of strength, I made your identity as a Kyuubi's vessel public. Immediately after, I forbid any future disclosure of that information and any kind of harm towards you, punishing both with death.

Naruto felt he was short of breath. The third knelt before him and grasped his hands.

"I hope that one day you can find it in your heart to forgive for this old fool. Because of my actions, you have suffered more than any child ever should. The people of the village may never stop looking at you with those cold eyes, seeing only the demon that you carry imprisoned within. Most adults never will. But perhaps the children, those who did not see our village burn and do not link you to a pain they do not know. That is my only consolation, that they may prove to be better than their parents and learn to see beyond hatred."

Naruto thought of Mizuki. And of Iruka. He pulled his hands away and wiped away some incipient tears before they could fall. He could never change the past, but what about the future?

"Now at least I know what the problem is, perhaps I can find a solution." Naruto said. "If the village sees me as a monster, I will prove them wrong. I will become the best ninja that ever lived. I'll give them far more reasons to accept me than they have to hate Kyuubi."

Hiruzen wished with all his soul that Naruto could one day fulfill his goal, however difficult he knew it would be. He got up and dismissed him, watching him walk on his way to the main street. With young people like Naruto, the future of the village was in good hands. As he entered his residence and found Konohamaru in bed, sleeping peacefully, a remorse gripped his chest. He wished with all his heart that he could tell Naruto the whole truth, about the night of Kyuubi's attack, and about so many other things. There was so much the boy ignored. But the Fourth made him promise with his last breath that he would keep the truth a secret until Naruto was old enough to fully understand it, and even as it shattered his soul every time he looked at the kid, he wouldn't break his oath. Hiruzen laid down on his bed trying to forget, if only for the sweet embrace of sleep, a lifetime of regrets.


	3. Team Kakashi

The Third had ordered every ninja in the village to be gathered in the great plaza under Hokage Rock. Hundreds of ninja crowded over the cobblestone ground. Naruto felt trapped surrounded by so many people, everyone so close to him. The figure of Lord Hokage finally appeared on the roof of the administration building, and his voice rang out loudly.

"I have made a decision of vital importance to the village." he said. "I have decided to retire."

A great commotion arose among the crowd, awaiting with impatience to know who the successor of the Third would be.

"My successor will be chosen by the method my predecessors used before me: you will all stand still and I will toss my hat to the crowd. The one on whom it falls will become the Fifth Hokage."

Everyone in the square stood at attention and looked up at the sky. Naruto tried to calm his excitement by focusing his attention on the cobblestone floor beneath his sandals, which seemed to vibrate under him. An idea came up to him. The Hokage's conical hat, red and white, flew from the old man's hand onto the crowd. Rocked by the wind, gliding from side to side, it ended up perching on Naruto's head. They all knelt before him and swore their eternal allegiance. Naruto laughed out loud.

"I won cause I'm the best." Naruto said loudly. "I used the Shadow Clone Jutsu to create copies of myself and have greater odds of being chosen. No other ninja thought of that, only me. That's why I'm the only one who truly deserves this position."

The Third draped a white cape over his shoulders and knelt beside the other Leaf ninja, who cheered for their new Hokage.

Naruto woke up, treasuring the feeling of the dream he had just left. He had to laugh, becoming Hokage wouldn't be that easy. He drank water and cooked some rice for breakfast, dressing it in the bowl with an egg. He dressed and headed out, but stopped. He picked up his ninja headband and tied it around his forehead. Now he was ready to go.

Nearly two hundred newly graduated genin formed in lines in the Academy's courtyard, all wearing their glistening forehead protectors. They talked among themselves while waiting. He knew most of the kids, but watching them all together he realized that in five years in the Academy, he had exchanged words with very few of them. But he did get sidelong glances and some even chuckled. They gazed especially at his forehead protector, they might thought it was an imitation; Naruto would love to disappoint them. Iruka appeared soon enough, still limping a bit, and got on top of a dais to be in full view of all.

"As of today, you are all Leaf ninja." said the chunin. "You will be assigned to a team consisting of three genin, and a chunin or jonin master. You will obey your master to successfully carry out the missions assigned to you. I wish you all good luck in your career as ninja."

Iruka unrolled the scroll on his belt and cleared his throat.

"Ami, Gennai, and Minoji Konugi, you are assigned to the chunin Mifu Shinobu."

The three youngsters walked towards Iruka and he signed them to go inside the Academy. Naruto hoped to have a jonin as a teacher, an experienced ninja who could teach him advanced techniques. As for the teammates, he didn't care, surely they would be a couple of idiots who would not deign to speak to him beyond absolute necessity. It wouldn't be a problem as long as they didn't stop him from improving. Iruka announced several more teams.

"Sakura Haruno, Naruto and Sasuke Uchiha, you are assigned to jonin Kakashi Hatake."

Sakura was a clever and studious girl with striking long pink hair, like cherry blossom petals in spring; he didn't know much about her. With Sasuke he had shared more classes. He was an asshole who thought himself better than everyone else, the Academy's own golden child. At least he'd been assigned to a jonin. Naruto walked towards Iruka faster than his teammates. He approached the dais and motioned for his former teacher to come closer.

"Who ever thought of putting an amazing ninja like me on the same team as that idiot Sasuke?" He said, glancing over his shoulder so he wouldn't lose sight of his teammates.

"The teams are made up by the Hokage and the Academy teachers." said Iruka, trying to keep his voice down. "You should be grateful, Sasuke is the graduate with the best grades in the course. You, on the other hand, were dead last."

Naruto felt a few taps on the shoulder. Sasuke and Sakura were waiting for him to go to the Academy.

"Don't worry about being on the same team," Sasuke said with a slight smile. "Just don't get in my way, 'dead last'."

Naruto felt stupid. Sasuke had heard him. Maybe Iruka was right and it wasn't so bad being on the same team as Sasuke. There'd be no one better to measure his progress against than the best in the Academy. Naruto followed his teammates into the building. They asked for Kakashi Hatake, but they were sent to a classroom to wait for him, since he had not yet appeared. Naruto had a bad feeling about his new master.

Sakura was watching her two teammates carefully. Sasuke Uchiha, without a doubt the best in the Academy, and the most handsome. He wore an elegant dark blue robe with white pants and his black hair fell over his forehead protector at the sides of his face.

Naruto was his complete opposite, with that tousled and uncombed blond hair, and those rolled and patched up orange robes that were too big for him. Also, she could have sworn she had overheard other students say that Naruto had failed. It must have been simple gossip, he wasn't smart enough to fool the Academy teachers and the Hokage.

Sakura was really glad she had been assigned to a jonin; there was so much she could learn from a ninja with Kakashi Hatake's record. He had fought in the Third War at her same age, earning a reputation as a young prodigy. She also remembered reading about his father, another notorious ninja who fought in the Second War and was nicknamed 'White Fang' by his enemies.

Time passed and there was still no sign of the jonin master. Sakura distracted herself by reciting the Ninja Rules in her mind. Rule number four: A ninja must always put the fulfillment of the mission first. Rule number five: A ninja must obey the orders of his superiors in command. Rule number six: A ninja must never show weakness. Rule number seven: A ninja should never...

She came out of her self-absorption to see his classmates, leaning against opposite walls of the classroom, glaring at each other. Sakura had the impression that at any moment they would jump on each other and start fighting. It would be over soon, of course; there was little Naruto could hope to do against Sasuke.

Naruto got away from the wall and started walking towards Sasuke. Were they really going to fight? Naruto passed him by and crossed the threshold of the door into the hall.

"I'm going to piss, can't hold it anymore."

What an idiot. Sakura was almost sorry she hadn't tried anything against Sasuke. She even wondered why Naruto hadn´t. Everyone in the village, especially in the Academy, knew about Naruto's reputation: the orphan kid who was always getting into trouble. Not a week had passed since his last mischief. What kind of moron would paint over the faces of the Hokage?

Sakura realized she was alone with Sasuke. It was a good opportunity to formally introduce herself to her new teammate. She walked until she was in front of him.

"I am Sakura Haruno. I'm glad we're on the same team." she said, bowing slightly, a respectful greeting.

"Sasuke Uchiha. Likewise." He barely nodded.

An awkward silence took over the room. Sakura found herself unable to move, and couldn't think of what to say to make the situation less embarrassing. How long could that jonin take to come? Even Naruto would be welcome. How long could it take to go to the bathroom?

"Uh... Naruto's on the team, let's hope he doesn't do too much of his nonsense." Sakura only spoke to fill the silence. "He's always being a jerk, right? Laughing at everyone; he doesn't seem to care about anything."

Sasuke was looking at her with that indecipherable expression of his, without saying a word.

"Of course, if I behaved like that, my parents would punish me until I was an old woman." she continued, speaking just so as not to look stupid standing there without saying anything. "I'm sure he is only that wild because he's an orph..."

As soon as she said it, she regretted it. She could see the anger in Sasuke's dark eyes. Moron. How could she said that? Sasuke was the last of the Uchiha Clan, his entire family died in their first year at the Academy. She had to fix it, she couldn't let Sasuke think she was a stupid, insensitive brat.

"What I wanted to say is that he can behave as badly as he wants to, he has no one who can give him a good reprimand... Although perhaps on the other hand, it wouldn't be so bad to not have someone telling you all the time how to behave and what to do..."

Sakura thought she had managed to get out of trouble, although perhaps she shouldn't have said that last thing. Even so, everything seemed fine again.

"There are those who would give anything to have even scolding parents." Sasuke said, pulling away from her to sit on the teacher's table.

Sakura had never felt so stupid. Naruto returned to the classroom. Sakura remained silent and leaned against the wall, avoiding looking in Sasuke's direction.

Sasuke cursed his bad luck. It was the same in the Academy. Three times he had been denied to take the graduation exam in advance. His new partner Naruto, on the other hand, asked for it twice and was both allowed; although it was probably because it was obvious that he wouldn't pass.

He thought now that he had graduated, luck would at least smile on him a little. But not in the least. A jonin teacher, yes, but an unpunctual one, what did that say about him? He had expected more from the son of Sakumo Hatake, who many years ago was his own father's jonin master. And as teammates, an annoying girl and Naruto. Several clan members had graduated that year, the appropriate thing would have been to put him on a team with people on his level.

Sasuke resigned himself. He should be able to learn something useful from the jonin, and even if that wasn't the case, he could always ditch the team as soon as he became a chunin in a year, maybe two at most. He had no time to lose, he'd already been delayed long enough. At his age, Itachi was already chunin and had mastered the Sharingan...

He pushed those thoughts out of his head as he saw Naruto grabbing the rag they used for cleaning the board and head for the door. He placed the damp, filthy rag on top of the sliding door, catching it at the doorjamb. It would fall on the next person who opened the door. Naruto went back to where he was giggling.

"All the other teams have already left, it's just us here. This guy's earned it for making us wait." said Naruto.

Sakura moved as far away from the door as she could.

"This is yours only, Naruto. I don't want to have any part in this."

Naruto laughed, and looked at him to see his reaction.

"You're not going to catch a jonin with such a silly trap." Sasuke said.

"We'll see." said Naruto, whose hopes seemed down now.

A long time later, the door finally opened. The man wore dark clothes and the green chunin protective vest, which jonin also usually wore. He could barely see his face before the dirty rag fell on it. Was this guy really a jonin? Even he could have dodged it.

He slowly pulled the rag off of him, grabbing it with two fingers and tossing it back onto the shelf next to the blackboard. He wore a dark cloth mask that covered him from nose to neck and a tilted forehead protector, covering his left eye. Only one eye, one ear, and his hair, spiky and silvery, almost white, were visible.

"So you three are my team." Kakashi said smiling, though it could only be appreciated by looking at his visible eye. "To be honest, you didn't make a great first impression on me."

The last thing Kakashi wanted in that moment was to train a genin team. It was enough for him to complete missions for the village, it always had. But the Third had insisted, or rather he had ordered it. It was the fourth year in a row he'd been assigned a team, but so far he had managed to get rid of them, passing them to some chunin willing to win the favor of the Hokage. The Third did not like that attitude, he told him it would be good for him to lead a team; that lone wolves don't usually survive when difficult times arrive. Kakashi didn't contradict him, but he knew the old man was just talking good sounding nonsense. Lone wolves are the only ones who survive during difficult times, because all other wolves are already dead.

Sakura Haruno, daughter of civilians. His father was the village's chief gardener, in charge of maintaining parks and public gardens. And he did a great job, if Kakashi could comment on the matter. Beyond that, there was little special about her, perhaps her striking pale pink hair. Just another mediocre ninja, if his experience was anything to go by.

Sasuke Uchiha. Last surviving member of the Uchiha Clan. If he was half as promising as the Uchiha he had met, he could become a competent ninja. He was undoubtedly the most talented of the three.

And Naruto. Kyuubi's living vessel. Regardless of his suspicions about the boy, which only concerned him, he never would have thought the Third would allow him to graduate and go through the traditional system. Perhaps the incident with the chunin Mizuki made him change his mind. It's not every day that an Academy student uses a forbidden jutsu and almost beats one of his teachers to death. Apart from his particular tenant, he didn't seem to stand out at all if the reports he'd read had any validity.

"Well, let's start over. How about we introduce ourselves properly?"

"What do you want to know?" said Naruto.

"Things you like, things you don't; dreams, hobbies. That sort of thing."

"Shouldn't you start, Master?" Sakura said.

"Me? Well, of course. My name is Kakashi Hatake. My likes and dislikes are my concern. I have several hobbies, and my dreams are quite dreamlike. Your turn, let's start with you."

The blond kid looked at him suspiciously, realizing he had only told them his name.

"Well, my name is Naruto, I like ramen and especially free ramen..."

Great, the boy's head was full of soup.

"... and my dream is to become Hokage and prove my worth to the entire village."

That was certainly interesting. Kakashi indicated to the Uchiha it was his turn.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha, there are many things I don't like, and few that I do. And I wouldn't call it a dream, rather an ambition. To kill a certain someone."

Just what he thought. Kakashi looked at Sakura.

"Yes. My name is Sakura Haruno. I like learning new things, and I don't like boring stuff. My hobbies are reading and taking long walks. And my dream is to become a good ninja."

Such a unique personality, Kakashi could barely believe it.

Naruto still wasn't sure what to think about his new teacher, but he was eager to start doing missions and learning real techniques.

"Well, that wraps up the introductions." said the jonin. "Tomorrow we will start with the ninja work. Something simple, just the four of us. Survival training."

"What? More basic training? We're not in the Academy anymore." Naruto said.

Kakashi giggled.

"Trust me, it won't be basic in the least. I'll be your opponent." He chuckled again, as if holding something from them.

"What is it, Master?" Sakura said.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that when I tell you, you're going to get a big scare. You see, jonin masters have the option of turning down their genin team. And this exercise is how I personally evaluate my teams…" There was a tense silence. "The thing is, no team has ever managed to pass."

Naruto froze. He didn't want to miss out on learning from a jonin. Sakura and Sasuke seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"See? I knew you'd be scared." Kakashi said. "Well, tomorrow at dawn we meet at training ground number three. Bring all your weapons and tools, you'll need them. Oh, and if I were you I'd skip breakfast. Or you'll throw it up."

Naruto needed to surprise Kakashi, show him what he was capable of. Make it clear that he was a full-fledged ninja. But what could he do against a jonin?

The sun was rising over the treetops in the East when Naruto arrived at the training ground. Sasuke and Sakura were already there, leaning against stumps. They had all tied a tool bag to their belts, and had a throwing weapon holster strapped to their legs. Kakashi took about an hour to arrive, and then greeted them like nothing. He pulled something out of the tool bag behind him and tied it to the leather belt he wore over his reinforced vest. It was two bells, jingling from one side to the other from two thin red strings.

"Your task is to take these bells from me before noon. Whoever doesn't have one by then will be left without eating. What's more, I will tie you to a stump and you will have to starve while your teammates have lunch."

Damned Kakashi, that's why he told them not to eat breakfast.

"As you may have noticed by now, there are only two bells, so one of you will definitely end up on the stump. And it doesn't end there, depending on how bad you do it, not only will I get rid of you, but I'll send you back to the Academy."

Bullshit. No one was going to send him back to the Academy, least of all this guy. Naruto was breathing heavily, and his hands were shaking with anticipation.

"You can use any weapons you want. But I warn you, if you don't go all in, you won't have a chance."

"But we could hurt you." Sakura said.

Naruto chuckled.

"If he couldn't even dodge a dirty rag, he'll end up dead against kunai and shuriken." Naruto was beginning to trust in his chances. He beat Mizuki after all, this jonin wouldn't be that much harder. With his Shadow Clone Jutsu, he had little to fear from Kakashi.

"Please don't listen to 'Mr. Dead Last'." Kakashi said to Sakura. "You can st..."

Naruto grasped a kunai and lunged at Kakashi. This asshole wasn't going to make fun of him, he'd had enough. Something stopped him suddenly. And held his head by the hair with one hand, while with the other held his kunai's hand tightly by the wrist, behind his back, making the tip of the knife brush against his own nape.

"Calm down, Naruto. I haven't said you could start yet." Kakashi said from behind him.

He hadn't even been able to see him. An instant earlier he was before him, standing there, and in a moment he had him immobilized and defeated. This was a jonin.

Kakashi released him.

"You seem to be ready to give your all." said the jonin. "I'm starting to like you, guys. Are you ready? Let's get started!"

Kakashi learned as a child that the ability to stay hidden from your enemies was crucial for any ninja. Sasuke understood this perfectly, he had hidden in his blind spot and moved through the undergrowth without hardly attracting attention; it would take a while for even some experienced ninja to locate him. Sakura understood the concept, although the execution was another story. Anyone paying any attention to their surroundings would soon find her crouched, almost in plain sight, amid the bushes. To Naruto, shouting in defiance from several meters away in the middle of the clearing, it was a completely foreign concept.

"Seriously, kid. You ain't alright."

The blond genin prepared to attack him wielding a kunai. Even a half-blind old man would see him coming from afar.

"What's not alright is that hair of yours, let me fix it for you." Naruto said as he ran towards him.

Kakashi reached for the tool bag on his back, which stopped Naruto in his tracks. It was time to teach the boy a lesson.

A bead of cold sweat slid down Naruto's back. Was Kakashi going to use a weapon against him? Shit. All things being equal, he wouldn't beat the jonin.

"Ninja combat lesson number one: Taijutsu, hand-to-hand combat."

Kakashi quickly took out an object and held it before him. It was a... book? Kakashi opened it with one hand and began to read, leaving the cover in view of Naruto. 'Make-Out Paradise'.

"Are you reading a dirty book?"

"It's adult literature. Besides a classic. By the way, you can attack whenever you want."

"What about the book?"

"Oh, I'm just rereading it. It won't make a difference against someone on your level."

He felt his blood boiling inside of him. He threw the kunai and immediately charged at Kakashi, who had already dodged the knife without any effort. He blocked the first punch with his free hand and dodged the next kicks without taking his eyes off the damn book. That was exactly what Naruto wanted, he had made him relax with predictable blows and now he would attack him from behind. A punch to the back of the neck would make Kakashi pay more attention to him than to a piece of paper. Naruto put his entire body into the punch, but he only hit air.

"A ninja shouldn't get caught from behind, stupid." he heard behind him.

Naruto felt a twinge in his ass and out of sheer instinct, he ran off with long strides. Looking back in the middle of his run, he tripped and fell into the river. The water was cold and pushed him slightly sideways. Blasted Kakashi, he had caught the kunai he had thrown at him and poked his ass with it. If he had wanted to hurt him, he would be much worse than wet right now. Naruto needed to show him everything he was capable of. He should at least be able to surprise him momentarily.

Naruto stuck his head out of the water. The jonin giggled as he read on.

"I've already decided." Kakashi said. "If you don't get a bell, you're going straight to the Academy. It certainly doesn't look like you're going to be Hokage anytime soon. Nor even late."

Kakashi laughed again, jingling the bells tied at his waist. Naruto dove again, lying on his back on the river bed. He crossed the index and middle fingers of both hands in front of his face. He wasn't going back to the Academy anytime soon. Nor even late.

The water from the river blasted in all directions. Naruto and seven copies emerged from the explosion, forming in front of Kakashi. He would have preferred to make more clones, but he hadn't mastered the jutsu yet, it depended too much on his emotional state. It didn't matter, this time he was going to catch Kakashi off guard.

"I heard you had some new tricks, but don't get too excited. As many as you are, you're still just a bunch of Narutos."

Naruto and his copies took up an offensive stance. Kakashi remained still, although his eye was no longer looking at the book. Perfect. A Naruto suddenly grabbed the jonin from the back. The clone that Naruto had made take a detour to position himself behind Kakashi while performing the technique and distracting him with the blast of water.

"A ninja shouldn't get caught from behind, Master." said the copy while holding Kakashi's arms tightly in a grappling hold.

Naruto and the rest of the clones lunged at Kakashi. While the others held the jonin's legs, Naruto threw a strong punch against Kakashi's face. The jonin's was not the face he hit though, but his own. In the clone chaos, all the Narutos formed a circle and eyed each other suspiciously. Kakashi had transformed into him at the last second to trick him, and now he was lost among the copies. The accusations began instantly, and the blows did not take long to follow.

"Wait!" said a copy. "We just have to dispel the jutsu. Then, only Kakashi and the original will remain."

"Why didn't you think about that before we beat each other, you idiot?" Naruto said.

"Because I'm you, stupid."

All the Narutos jumped back and the real one undid the technique. The one left would be Kakashi. But the only thing now surrounding Naruto was the white smoke that his copies left upon disappearing. A small tear of shame fell down Naruto's self-bruised face.

Sasuke, hidden in the undergrowth, had doubted for an instant about the outcome of the match when Naruto had used real clones. Where would he learn such a technique? But Kakashi was a jonin, not even an advanced jutsu like that would make him lose his composure. Poor Naruto, standing there and looking around, had no idea what had happened.

Kakashi had used the Replacement Jutsu, although calling it a "jutsu" would be generous, it was rather a useful trick against civilians and other lesser enemies. Kakashi used his greater speed to put one of Naruto's copies in his place and then just hid and had a laugh. It was a very basic technique to cause confusion in a slower enemy and wait for a gap to attack, but Naruto had not only been confused but had also managed to attack himself. What an idiot.

Naruto saw no sign of Kakashi. And after the beating he had given himself, he didn't feel like trying any more for a while. His stomach roared. It would be better to rest for a moment and let the others try. He walked to the nearest tree to lie in its shade and regain his strength. A gleam hit his eyes, a small reflection coming from the grass. It couldn't be. A bell. Kakashi must have lost it in his flight. What a ninja he was, this jonin. He reached down to pick it up, and he almost touched it when he felt a sharp tug on his ankles.

When he realized what was happening, he was staring at the clearing upside down, swinging back and forth from a rope tied to the tree. Kakashi picked up the bell from the ground and jingled it at Naruto's stunned face.

"Think before using a jutsu. Otherwise, it could be used against you. And don't fall for such obvious traps, dummy."

Fucking Kakashi! Naruto threw his arms in the direction of the jonin, trying to grab the bell or at least hit him. Kakashi took a step back and got out of reach. He tied the bell back to his belt and smiled.

"A ninja must be able to see underneath the underneath." Kakashi said, reciting a basic ninja rule that Naruto had learned in his first year at the Academy.

"I already know that." Naruto said, feeling how the blood began to flow down to his head.

Kakashi moved closer until he was in front of his face.

"I'm telling you because you clearly don't."

After patiently waiting for the right moment, Sasuke saw his chance. At last Kakashi had let his guard down. Sasuke threw several kunai and shuriken that hit the jonin's side, knocking him down. Naruto started yelling from his rope. Pathetic. Kakashi's body touched the ground, but it bounced in a weird manner. A cloud of smoke enveloped him for a second. It was a piece of wood, a stump with throwing weapons embedded in its bark.

Shit, another replacement. Now Kakashi knew where he was. Would he even know beforehand? He had shown that he was letting his guard down on purpose and Sasuke had taken the bait. He had to move fast and hide again. Kakashi would not catch him off guard a second time.

Naruto took advantage of the fact that Kakashi had taken off to cut the rope with a kunai. "Underneath the underneath", what a prick. He wasn't going to fall again into the jonin's stupid traps. He finished cutting the rope and let go of it, landing on his feet in the grass. Suddenly another jerk flew him upward and put him hanging upside down again. The absolute bastard had set two identical traps on the same spot.

Sakura crept slowly through the undergrowth. Master Kakashi had turned out to be worthy of his fame. He had played with Naruto without hardly looking at him and had easily fooled Sasuke. Even the best in the Academy wasn't a match for a jonin. A shiver ran down her spine just thinking about the difference in skill that separated them from Kakashi, and how many foreign ninjas would equal him in power. She didn't even want to think about what might happen to her if she ever faced an enemy jonin.

With her head full of sinister ideas, Sakura barely noticed Kakashi, with his back to her a few meters down the line, reading calmly. She couldn't make any sound. She had to wait patiently for her opportunity. Maybe if Naruto or Sasuke showed up and held Kakashi's attention, she would have a window of opportunity. Just a few seconds at the most, but it would have to be enough for her to get behind him and get a bell.

Several minutes passed in which only the birds' singing was heard, Kakashi continued reading. She still had a couple of hours until noon, all the time in the world, and she would not lose her patience. She hadn't studied for five years like crazy to end up in the hands of a chunin who would barely supervise her, and going back to the Academy was certainly not an option.

"Don't look behind you, Sakura." Kakashi said casually, as he continued reading.

On instinct Sakura turned her head. Kakashi's masked face was inches from hers. His only visible eye on her. His... eye... A whirlpool full of leaves?

Sakura found herself in a clearing in the forest. Kakashi had disappeared. What had happened? A voice spoke her name. Sasuke's voice. She followed it across the clearing, and through some bushes. And found him. Kunai and shuriken stuck everywhere. His clothes dyed the red of his own blood. Kneeling, one leg broken and twisted, he leaned against a tree with his only remaining arm. His gouged-out eyes, two bottomless red pits.

"Help me, Sakura..."

Sakura screamed out of pure horror, unable to move and not knowing what to do. The world became hazy and plunged her into darkness in an instant.

Kakashi felt a bit sorry for Sakura when he saw her passed out in the brush. Perhaps it had been a bit over the top. Two out, it was time to move on to Sasuke. He found him in the middle of a large clearing, waiting for him. He had to admit that the boy had guts. Or maybe his stubbornness blinded him to reality. He would soon find out. He approached the boy head-on and stopped several meters from him.

"Sakura received the second lesson on ninja combat: Genjutsu, Illusory Techniques. She fell without realizing what was happening. Only you remain."

He took out his novel again and began to read.

"I'm not like them." said Sasuke.

"Tell me again with a bell in your hand."

Sasuke crouched violently, reaching for the throwing weapons from his tool bag and holster, secured to his left thigh. Half a dozen shuriken flew from his hands towards Kakashi, who sidestepped them smoothly.

"An obvious attack is worse than none at all." Kakashi said.

Perfect. One of the shuriken cut a thin string hidden in the undergrowth behind Kakashi, which triggered a spring trap, releasing a score of throwing knives aimed right where Kakashi had dodged the first attack, to his left. Sasuke had correctly assumed that with only one right eye, Kakashi would dodge to his left so as not to lose sight of him.

"That's better." Kakashi said, dodging the knives in another leap.

The knives stabbed into a nearby tree, sounding a roll of sharp blows. When Kakashi landed, Sasuke was already behind him, kicking him to the head. Kakashi spun around instantly, stopped Sasuke's leg with his forearm and grabbed it with his other hand. The boy rested his free leg on the ground and pushed himself to immediately hit Kakashi with his right fist above his guard. Kakashi intercepted the attack, grabbing Sasuke's fist with his free hand. Pushing himself up against his footholds, Kakashi's hands, Sasuke spun around to deliver a free leg kick to the head of the jonin, whose hands were busy. Kakashi raised his arms, stopping the kick between them without releasing his grip on Sasuke's ankle and fist.

Sasuke's free left hand swooped down on the bells, right in front of his face, but Kakashi had already realized what he was up to. He let go of Sasuke, who rolled over and stood up instantly. Kakashi jumped away, keeping a safe distance between them.

Sasuke's ploy had failed, just barely. He had managed to touch a bell with the tip of his finger.

"I admit that you are not like the other two. I don't think I'm going to be able to continue reading." Kakashi said.

Kakashi was impressed by the Uchiha genin. Few people were able to surprise him, least of all a new Academy graduate. It seemed that his fame was deserved.

Crouching, Sasuke began to make hand seals. Snake, Tiger, Boar, Horse, Tiger. Of course. Sasuke took a deep breath and blew out a huge flame, the Great Fireball Jutsu. A normal genin wouldn't be able to perform a technique of that level, much less a recent graduate. But that was one of the signature jutsu of the Uchiha Clan, practically all of its members learned it at an early age. It was still surprising how advanced Sasuke, an orphan raised in peacetime, was. But his power would not be enough to pass the test.

Sasuke caught his breath staring at the column of black smoke that rose from the scorched crater before him. Kakashi had disappeared again. He scanned the brush around him without finding a trace of him. There was nothing in the treetops above him either. If Kakashi was still around, there was only one option left. Below. Something gripped his foot hard and yanked him down. His body slid, meeting little resistance into the earth, until he was almost buried, with only his head in the air. He had read about the Ground Decapitation Jutsu. Kakashi surfaced and dusted himself off. He crouched before him and looked at him with a condescending eye.

"Ninja combat lesson number three: Ninjutsu, Ninja Techniques." he said. "Although you already know it, better than the others at least."

Sasuke felt helpless. This was the difference between him and a jonin.

Kakashi turned his back on him and started to walk away, his book in hand again.

"You know what they say, the nail that sticks out is the one that gets the hammer." Kakashi laughed as he lost himself behind the brush.

Hanging upside down, Naruto was thinking of how to snatch a bell from Kakashi. But all his plans relied too heavily on the Shadow Clone Jutsu, which he had not yet mastered. He couldn't overwhelm the jonin like he did with Mizuki. Giving up, Naruto surveyed his surroundings. From his perch, he spotted a carved rock past the undergrowth that accumulated behind the three stumps. On the rock there was something, two rectangular objects. They looked like two lunch boxes. Naruto laughed. A ninja must be able to see underneath the underneath.

He cut his bonds and swung on the rope to fall away from the tree. He moved toward the stumps carefully, looking for signs of traps on the ground. He made his way through the undergrowth and came to the rock, and the lunches waiting on top of it. He picked up the lunch boxes and sat down against the stone. Trying to get a bell again on an empty stomach wouldn't change a thing, but if he ate and got his strength back, he would have a better chance. In any case, he wouldn't be the idiot who went without eating.

"Hi Naruto." Kakashi's voice said from behind him. "What were you going to do?"

Shit.

"I was just kidding...?" Naruto said, dreading what would come next.

Sakura woke up in the bushes with a strange feeling, as if she just had a dream she was unable to remember. How could she fall asleep in the middle of training? She remembered stalking Kakashi, but not much else other than Sasuke. Right, Sasuke was badly hurt. She had to hurry and find him to bring him back to the village. She began to explore the training area in search of her partner.

After a few minutes of searching, she found Sasuke's head in the middle of a clearing. No, not again. Her knees gave out and a tingling ran through her body, blurring her vision until she fell into complete darkness.

Sakura came to herself. She calmed down after Sasuke, baffled, assured her he was not a severed head, then she helped him out of the ground. Once on the surface, Sakura touched him to make sure he wasn't hurt, babbling about broken legs and missing arms. It dawned on her that it had all been Kakashi's doing.

"There isn't much time left until noon." Sasuke said with a blank stare. "I have to try again. I've touched a bell, I know I can get it."

Sakura felt a knot forming in her stomach. If Sasuke hadn't been able to pull it off, she wouldn't stand a chance. And if Sasuke got a bell, they would no longer be on the same team. She thought maybe it would be better to fail the test and try again with a chunin, or perhaps the following year.

"It's true, there's almost no time left. If we haven't done it already, I don't think we are going to. Let's not take it too seriously, there will always be a next time."

Sasuke focused his gaze on her. She could feel his anger. But he turned his head away, closed his eyes, and sighed.

"That doesn't work for me, I've already lost too much time. I need to become a ninja, get stronger. I can't stay stagnant, I have to move forward at all costs." Sasuke said.

Sakura wasn't clear as if he was talking to her or just thinking aloud.

"I can't sit around doing nothing. That time, I could only cry..."

Sakura understood. He was talking about the night his family died. Now she understood who the man Sasuke wanted to kill was.

Kakashi's voice interrupted her thoughts. It reached them from afar, telling them to come closer. It was already noon.

They walked up to Kakashi, who was waiting for them next to Naruto, tied to a stump. He instructed them to sit next to his teammate and take the lunch boxes on the other two stumps.

"You two can eat." Kakashi said. "Poor things, you look famished. By the way, about today's training, I've already made my decision. You won't have to go back to the Academy after all."

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. Sasuke smiled slightly and Naruto moved his legs uncontrollably. Sakura realized suddenly, it had been all a sham to evaluate their abilities.

"It would be a waste to send you back to the Academy because, honestly, you'll never be ninja."

Naruto froze. Was he going to stop being a ninja? Could Kakashi do such a thing? His fists clenched in rage under the rope that had him tied by the chest to the stump.

"What do you mean by that?" said Naruto. "We didn't get the bells, okay. But that's no reason to stop being ninja."

Kakashi giggled.

"It's true, it is not. The reason is that you are little punks who don't deserve to become ninja."

Sasuke charged at the jonin, but Kakashi brought him down to the ground in an instant. He sat on his back and put one foot on his head.

"See what I'm talking about?" said Kakashi.

Sasuke was red-faced and breathing hard, trying to direct his gaze to Kakashi.

"You haven't even understood the purpose of this exercise, have you?"

The three of them looked at each other without saying a word. Naruto waited to see if anyone would say something.

"The reason for this exercise is the same as why you are divided into teams of three. Teamwork. Working together, you would have had the best chance of getting the bells."

Moron. Kakashi was right, between the three of them they may have been able to distract him enough for one of them to get the bells.

"Wait a minute." Sakura said. "Even if we worked together, there are still only two bells. One of us would always fail. That's not working as a team, if in the end we're going to have to fight each other."

"That's because the exercise is expressly designed to make you fight each other. The purpose of the test is to see if you are able to forget your own personal interest and work as a team under the given conditions. But instead, Sakura, you only paid attention to Sasuke, who was much further away from you than Naruto, who you never even tried to help, for example, to free himself from the tree trap. Naruto, you just went on your own. And Sasuke," Kakashi moved the foot that had on the boy's head. "he thought his teammates would only get in his way and tried to do everything himself. Missions are carried out as a team. Personal skill is important to a ninja, but knowing how to work as a team is crucial. Individual plays that disrupt the teamwork can put your partners in danger, even get them killed. For example…" Kakashi reached down to his lower back and pulled out a kunai, which he placed against Sasuke's neck. "Sakura, kill Naruto or Sasuke dies."

What? Sakura seemed paralyzed with fear, but that didn't stop him from trying to free himself from the bonds with all his might. Kakashi got up and put the knife away. Naruto felt his heart leap out of his mouth.

"See, Sakura? In the event that a teammate is taken hostage, you may have a difficult decision to make, and someone will die no matter what. In missions, a ninja risks his life."

Kakashi walked past the stumps. Naruto had to turn his head to barely see Kakashi by the stone.

"Look at the names engraved on this stone. They are Leaf ninja who died in the line of duty during the last war. It's just one of many throughout the village and its surroundings." Kakashi said. "Some of these ninja were friends of mine."

Naruto and his teammates remained silent.

"Alright. I'll give you one last chance." said Kakashi. "If you are willing to try, eat first. But Naruto won't take a single bite."

"Oh, come on. I need to regain my strength too." Naruto said.

"It's your punishment for trying to eat everything yourself." Kakashi directed his one eye at Sakura and Sasuke. "If it occurs to you to give him even the crumbs, you will all fail on the spot."

Kakashi turned his back on them and walked out of Naruto's sight. The other two began to eat. Hunger made his guts roar, but his teammates didn't seem to care. Naruto resigned himself to fighting again on an empty stomach. Hunger was not unknown to him.

"Here." said Sasuke, handing him half of his food.

"What are you doing?" Sakura said softly. "Have you not listened to Master Kakashi?"

"He's not around, he won't find out. Besides, if Naruto doesn't have the strength to help us, he'll only be a hindrance."

Sakura offered him her food as well. Naruto noticed a warm feeling in his stomach, but it wasn't hunger. Maybe he had been lucky after all.

"Thanks, guys..."

A blast of smoke and wind ripped the lunch boxes from their hands.

"You..." Kakashi's voice rumbled inside Naruto's chest.

The smoke cleared, revealing Kakashi, towering over them.

"...passed." he said with a smile in his eye.

The surprise was general. Would this be another trap? Naruto no longer trusted the jonin.

"You are the first to pass the test. Everyone else obeyed my orders like good little idiots. A ninja must be able to see underneath the underneath. In the ninja world, those who disobey rules and orders are considered scum. But those who do not think about their comrades, are even lower than scum."

It was the most amazing thing Naruto had ever heard. Perhaps he had also judged Kakashi too early.

"Starting tomorrow, Team Kakashi will begin its duties." said the jonin.

Naruto kicked with joy, still tied to the stump. Kakashi untied him and they all returned to the village together.


	4. Rivals

After hours of searching and tracking all over the vast forest surrounding the Hidden Leaf Village, Team Kakashi finally located their target. Hidden, perched against trees, ready to rush at their master's command; Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke looked at Kakashi with anticipation. The silver-haired jonin gave the order with a wave of his hand and the three young genin lunged for the target, capturing it at last. Stupid cat.

Naruto held the restless animal firmly by its legs, it wasn't going to run away again. Kakashi approached his students and inspected the feline.

"Brown cat with a red bow, it's Tora. All right, guys. Let's go back."

Back at the village, they went to the administration building to deliver the cat to its owner, Lady Shijimi, the wife of a minor feudal lord from the Land of Fire. The cat had escaped from the huge woman's clutches during her visit to the commercial district. Seeing the woman hugging and crushing the poor cat against her chest, Naruto couldn't blame the animal for trying to get away.

The woman ordered one of her servants to pay, and they soon left. The team was called to receive their share. The village kept a third of the reward from all missions and the remaining money was divided among the team members, although the masters didn't take anything from their genin's missions. Kakashi had told them they had a separate salary. Lady Shijimi had spared no expense in finding her lost pet, paying gladly as much money as possible for that kind of mission. Naruto pocketed more than eleven thousand ryo that day, all golden and shiny. It was the highest amount he had obtained in his still short career, the rest of the missions barely earned him more than the daily allowance Naruto had received so far for being an orphan Academy student: a thousand ryo. The village had at least allowed him to stay in his apartment for free.

It was still early, so Kakashi told them that they would do another mission. Naruto, in the queue to receive an assignment from the Third, was beginning to get a little fed up with the missions they were given. They had been doing the dumbest tasks imaginable for the last couple of weeks: helping to reap a field, mowing the lawn in a private garden, walking a man's dogs, they even had to take care of the baby of a family who had to leave the village for a couple of days. It was ridiculous, none of it had anything to do with being a ninja. Thinking of a way out, Naruto and his team reached the front of the queue.

The Third greeted them with a broad smile and picked up one of the several scrolls on his table.

"Team Kakashi, your next mission will be to help a local farmer plant his potato patch."

Naruto couldn't take it anymore.

"Really? Come on, give us something better, we've been running errands for weeks, wasting our potential."

The Third laughed.

"Naruto, everyone starts with simple missions. It's a good way to adapt to the ninja system without exposing yourself to unnecessary dangers. Also, you have just graduated, you are not yet ready for more difficult missions."

"But you only give us the simplest tasks, give us something just a little bit better."

The third took a long drag on his pipe, and blew out a wisp of smoke.

"Every day, the village receives dozens of internal and external commissions, from planting potatoes to requests of assassination. Depending on the difficulty of the assignment, these are divided into ranks. As a genin, you will carry out D-rank missions, the lowest rank, and perhaps some C-ranks, in which there's risk of combat, but not against other ninja."

"There you have it. Give us a C-rank, even if it's an easy one."

The Third rubbed his goatee, he seemed to consider Naruto's proposal.

"Fine. I'll give you a C-rank mission." The Third examined another scroll for several seconds. "Damn, it seems there are no more of those left today."

The old man looked thoughtful and after a few moments called Kakashi, who walked up to him. They spoke too quietly to hear them and Kakashi nodded.

"It's decided, I'll give you one last D-rank mission, if you complete it successfully I'll agree to give you a task worthy of a ninja. The mission will be revealed on the seventh day from today. Now accompany your master."

Reluctantly, Naruto left the building with his team. He began to harass Kakashi with questions, who stopped and made them line up before him.

"The objective of this mission will be revealed to you in seven days. Until then, our current objective is to prepare for the mission, as you are not ready as of today. Any questions?"

"So it's more pointless training." Naruto said. "Great."

Kakashi had brought them together for several days to training ground number three for team maneuvering exercises and going over the basics they had already learned at the Academy.

"No, Naruto." Kakashi said. "This time you are going to learn something new. The first lesson every genin must learn. Follow me, in silence if you can."

They walked down the main street to the great central square of the village, and turned west, walking the dirt street to its end, a small training ground next to the colossal wall that surrounded the Leaf. It was a small clearing with a few trees barely half the height of the wall and a few stumps with targets for throwing weapon practice.

"We will meet here every day at dawn. Before we start, tell me. What makes ninja different from any other warrior?"

"Chakra, Master." Sakura said instantly.

"Wrong. Everybody has chakra."

"The use of the chakra."

"Wrong again. The samurai of the Land of Iron use chakra to strengthen their bodies and weapons. What sets ninja apart is chakra control. That is what made us the predominant warriors of this world."

"We already know how to control our chakra." said Naruto and created a couple clones. "See? Not difficult."

"Naruto is right, we already know and use jutsu." Sasuke said.

Kakashi laughed and shook his head from side to side.

"That's not true. Being able to perform jutsu is not comparable to having control over your chakra. Let's start with the basics: chakra is the mixture of physical energy, Yang, and spiritual energy, also called Yin. Molded through hand seals, for example, it allows a ninja to perform supernatural techniques. But without proper control of one's chakra, techniques weaken, or use more energy than necessary, which will only get you exhausted prematurely. On the battlefield, that means death in most cases."

"So how do we learn to control it?" Asked Sakura.

"By a method as old as ninja themselves. A rigorous training that will put body, mind and spirit to the test." Kakashi pointed a finger at the sky and smiled. "Climbing trees."

"That's got to be bullshit, anyone can climb a tree."

"But can you do it without using your hands?" Kakashi formed a seal. "Observe."

He walked to the nearest tree and put one foot on its trunk, to continue walking vertically on it like nothing. He walked up to its branches and stood dangling upside down from one of them.

"Concentrate chakra on the soles of your feet and try to climb. This exercise will teach you to mold the necessary amount of chakra in the right place on the body, that's the most important thing to use any jutsu. The amount of chakra required to stick to the tree is small, but it must be precise and constant. This training will increase your stamina and simulate the constant expenditure of chakra in battle. Also, the sole of the foot is the hardest place to accumulate chakra on, so it's an exercise that works on several fronts. With precise chakra control, you'll be able to perform any technique, at least in theory. Well, I could keep talking all day, but it wouldn't do you any good. This is something that is best learned by doing it."

Kakashi detached himself from the tree and spun in midair, landing on his feet.

"Use a kunai to mark the height you reach and then try to surpass it." said the jonin. "Try running at the tree, sometimes you have to run before you can walk."

Naruto laughed.

"I'm gonna have this tree for a snack."

"Stop bragging and start. It also goes for you two."

Naruto imitated his teammates and formed a seal with his hands. The task was to accumulate chakra in the soles of the feet, he had already done similar exercises in the Academy. He concentrated on his feet, feeling the earth under the soles of his sandals. He noticed a slight warm tingling on his feet. He was ready. He opened his eyes and looked at his companions, who were staring back at him. Naruto nodded and the three of them ran towards the nearest trees.

Naruto took a step on the trunk of the tree, but as he tried to take a second on its surface, his foot slid down, dragging him to the ground with it. He couldn't even mark his progress.

From his vantage point on the ground, he saw Sasuke take several steps, but he seemed to stumble. He marked the tree with the knife and fell in a controlled manner.

Sakura's laugh distracted him from his musings on how to reach Sasuke. She was sitting on a branch almost ten meters high. It was unbelievable.

"It seems that the one with the best control over her chakra right now is Sakura, and not by little." Kakashi said. "Sasuke, as you just saw, using too much chakra will cause the wood to break and repel you, as well as tire you out sooner. Naruto, if you use too little, you won't even stick to the trunk, and you will give yourself a good smack."

The jonin brought them together and explained the basic fundamentals of chakra use: relaxed body, calmed mind, making the hand seal and concentrating on shaping the chakra in the desired place. Rinse and repeat until it can be done naturally, without even having to think about it. Well, the first thing Naruto had to do was to stay attached to the tree.

He closed his eyes and performed each of the steps Kakashi had explained, slowly and without haste to return to the tree until he had correctly molded enough chakra into the soles of his feet. Once he thought he was ready, he ran towards the tree. He managed to stay on it for two steps, but he knew he wouldn't take a third and marked the tree with his kunai. He jumped and landed on his feet this time. He looked to his left. Sasuke had just landed as well. Naruto smirked and charged back against the tree, as did the Uchiha.

Sakura was exhausted, lying on her back with her head resting on one of the thick roots of her training tree. Dusk was setting in, the small training area at the foot of the wall slowly sinking into gloom, the sky that could barely be seen between the gaps in the treetops was reddish and purple.

At the end of the day, Sakura was able to consistently climb up to the higher branches, although she still couldn't do it by walking like Master Kakashi, and she needed to rest more often than her teammates. Her chakra reserves were clearly inferior. Sasuke and Naruto kept trying to surpass their marks. Both had advanced little and very costly. Although it seemed like Naruto was starting to get stuck to the tree more often.

Kakashi called them and told them to go home and rest, that forcing themselves more than necessary the first day would only act to their own detriment. Sakura saw her classmates and teacher heading north, but she walked southeast. Her family had established in the village just about twenty years ago and bought a house in the new area to the south, as the village had expanded over the years. She walked through the dirt streets and crossed the great park through which the Naka River crossed, forming lagoons and beautiful water paths, surrounding trees and clearings. That park, the largest in the Leaf, was his father's pride. She came home, taking off her shoes as she entered.

Her mother, who was preparing dinner, welcomed her with a hug and invited her to take a bath and wash off the smell of sweat and dirt. Sakura undressed and got into the wooden bathtub, full of hot water. As she rested her tired legs, she heard her father coming home. She listened to him telling her mother the stories and events of the day, how such a tree had changed its place, some idea he had had for a new garden; she thought about her teammates for a moment. Sakura felt really lucky.

They dined on rice and fish with vegetables peacefully. Her parents asked her about her day and listened with interest to her tale. They had always supported her decision to become a ninja, even if they didn't like it and didn't stop caring for her safety. They had been living in a ninja village for two decades and had witnessed not only the expansion of the Leaf, but also its graveyard's. After dinner, she read a scroll in her room by candlelight, which told stories of the first ninja, until she noticed her eyes closing and went to bed.

Naruto woke up to the rising sun. As he stood up, he felt a pain that he had never suffered before. Every fiber of his being gave off a slight but persistent twinge. He ate the leftover rice from the night before, and after preparing himself slowly and painstakingly, he left his apartment and headed for the grove. Sasuke and Sakura were already there, they looked just as exhausted as he was. Sharing impressions with his teammates, Naruto learned from Sakura that the pain was coming from his chakra pathway system, which served the same purpose for chakra as the veins and arteries did for blood. Sasuke told them that he had already suffered from that pain, and they would develop resistance naturally, as their pathway systems got stronger; although they would notice it again, like him, by using chakra extensively in a new way.

"Sasuke is right, it won't take long for you to get stronger." said Kakashi, who was again late for the meeting he had organized himself.

They began climbing the trees, but within minutes it became clear that none of them were going to be able to keep up with the previous day's pace. Kakashi ordered them to stop and approached them.

"It's normal that you can't continue, your chakra conduits are tired and you won't be able to mold enough chakra to climb." Kakashi said, holding out his hand and showing them four young green leaves. "Today we'll take it easy, grab one."

Naruto obeyed, as did his teammates. Kakashi put the remaining leaf against the metal plate of his forehead protector and pulled his hand away. The leaf remained glued to the metal.

"You know this exercise from the Academy, right?" said the jonin. "It's essentially a gentler version of tree climbing. The forehead is one of the easiest places to accumulate chakra on and a leaf has barely any weight. This will help you improve your concentration without getting too tired."

Iruka had punished him countless times to do that exercise, as a penalty for his jokes, interruptions, and distractions during his classes. But he'd never had to do it so exhausted. Naruto started to undo his forehead protector, but Kakashi stopped him with a gesture.

"Leave it on. It's harder to accumulate chakra through metal. I don't want to make it so easy that you don't learn anything either." said Kakashi, winking at them.

They spent the whole morning doing the exercise. Sakura barely had to put the leaf back on her forehead a handful of times, even adding more leaves until she had a pile of them attached to her headband. Sasuke could hold his for a long time as well, though much less so than Sakura, and he was able to add fewer leaves. Naruto, on the other hand, found it difficult to concentrate on a single one and noticed how his focus was losing strength as the minutes passed, until the leaf simply detached from the metal. Well after noon, Kakashi made them stop.

"Let's call it for today. Tomorrow we'll resume climbing, so rest well tonight and replenish your strength." said the jonin. "I've been watching you to find your weaknesses. Sakura, you have great control and although your chakra reserves are somewhat small, they will grow through hard work, keep it up. Sasuke, you have good reserves and know the basics of chakra use, but you mold more chakra than necessary. Do not rush, try to find the right amount, the point between the insufficient and the unnecessary. Naruto, your leaf has dropped over and over again, but you've hardly needed to rest. You have much higher than average chakra reserves, your problem is concentration. Forget everything around you, relax and find your own pace. And don't give up, even if it may not seem like it, you are the one who's improved the most since we met."

Naruto struggled to contain his smile until he was out of sight from his team. Maybe Kakashi had only said that to cheer him up, but the truth was he had been giving his all those last few weeks and appreciated his master noticing. He preferred not to pay attention to the fact that his teammates were still far ahead of him; all he had to do was improve a little each day to close the distance. Naruto decided to head to the public baths, where he had a good soak, relaxing in the hot water. He went back to his apartment and although it was only beginning to get dark, he ate dinner and got into bed.

Sakura woke up well rested, she had gone to bed early to be at full strength. Trying not to wake her parents, she cooked rice and vegetables. With renewed energy, she set out to walk to the training area. She arrived there first. She didn't have to wait long for Sasuke, who was always on time, and Naruto wasn't long in coming either. They waited for Kakashi while climbing.

The night's rest had done wonders for her, she could almost reach the top of the tree just by walking. Sitting on a high branch, she watched her teammates. Sasuke advanced slowly, his trunk was full of cuts that were piled on top of each other. He hardly stopped to rest. Naruto's tree did not look very different, except that the marks started closer to the base of the tree and still didn't reach the height at which Sasuke made his first cut. Sakura came down from the tree to drink from her bamboo canteen. The cool water quenched her thirst.

She watched Naruto, standing in front of his tree trying to mold chakra. He was frowning, he looked frustrated; Sakura thought he was about to give up at any moment. Naruto puffed and kicked the grass repeatedly. Then, instead of trying again, as she would have expected from his usual stubbornness, he looked at her and started walking in her direction. He motioned for her to come closer and glanced over his shoulder at Sasuke, who was climbing his tree. Sakura leaned in.

"Would you mind giving me some advice?" Naruto said quietly.

Well into the morning, Kakashi arrived at the training ground by the great wall. His students stopped to greet him, with complaints about his tardiness.

"Come on, guys. You're old enough to need me on top of you at all times. Besides, looking at the trees I can see your progress as if I was here all morning." said Kakashi. "Naruto, you've passed Sasuke's first mark, good job."

Surely he would have asked Sakura for help after stagnating. Sasuke's reaction confirmed his suspicions. It seemed like Naruto was starting to apply the concept of teamwork.

"Sasuke, you are climbing, but very slowly. If you don't hurry up, Naruto will get to you soon."

Sasuke nodded, trying to hide his anger. Inspecting Sakura's tree, her cuts were lost in the top. Well, it seemed that the two of them had spent the morning well.

"Sakura, I want you to climb to the top of the tree just walking." he said.

Sakura nodded. The pink-haired girl closed her eyes and made a seal with her hands. She walked towards the tree and continued with the same ease through its trunk as she would on land. Walking slowly, in no time she reached the top and in the same way, she descended until she returned in front of Kakashi.

"Great, you've mastered it." said Kakashi, pulling a scroll from his tool bag. "It would be a waste to have you here all week. Take this."

Sakura unrolled the scroll and as she began to read it, her green eyes sparkled. Kakashi had worked the previous afternoon and part of the morning to write the scroll's contents.

"Basic principles of Illusory Techniques? Thank you, Master Kakashi."

"Few ninja specialize in the illusory arts, especially since mastering them requires perfect chakra control. But given your natural talent, it could be just your specialty. You can go home if you prefer and train there in peace."

Sakura skipped away. She was an applied girl and if she only mastered the basics of Genjutsu, she would become a good complement to her teammates' less subtle abilities.

Kakashi turned and gazed at Naruto and Sasuke. They looked at him as if they expected to receive something too. Kakashi giggled and smiled at them. He reached into his bag and pulled his hand out, empty; he shrugged.

"If the future Hokage and Great Lord Uchiha want a prize, they better hurry up to the top of those trees."

Sasuke charged incessantly against the tree as the sun moved westward, leaving the grove in the shadow of the wall. He had needed to rest more often as the day went on; while he regained his strength, he watched Naruto, who was catching up to him little by little. His stamina was certainly enviable.

Sasuke had been stagnant for hours, barely moving upwards. That idiot Naruto was only climbing higher because he asked Sakura for help. Sasuke wouldn't depend on others to strengthen himself, he knew he was alone in the things that truly mattered; he would not rely on people who could leave him high and dry tomorrow. He got up and started again, seeking to take just another step up the damned tree. He pushed on until it was almost dark. Kakashi, who came and went all day, appeared again.

"Let's leave it for today, you must not exhaust yourselves. I want you fully rested tomorrow, so I better not see any of you here before noon." said the jonin.

Naruto said goodbye and left. Sasuke stared at the cut tree trunks. At that rate, Naruto would catch up to him tomorrow. Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut and puffed.

"You know, Sasuke? The lesson about teamwork wasn't just for the bell test or life or death situations. Naruto seems to have understood."

Kakashi was behind him, leaning against a nearby tree. Sasuke turned to look at him. The jonin shrugged and walked to the edge of the training zone, getting out of sight. Alone and silently, he left the grove.

His mind clouded and his body exhausted, Sasuke wandered through dirt streets without caring for direction. A familiar scent, that of white birch leaves, brought him out of his stupor. He found himself in the middle of his clan's old district, now just another residential area. The great houses of his childhood, the wide gardens and quiet streets, had been replaced by small hovels in narrow, noisy streets. He began to notice the heat that watered his eyes.

He ran northeast toward his apartment. He still remembered the day the Third took him there for the first time. It was smaller than his old room, only occupied by a rolled-up mattress on the wooden floor. The Third explained that the clan district would be used for the benefit of the rest of the village, as well as its wealth. Sasuke would only keep the monetary assets of his parents, from which he would receive a modest allowance until he became an adult, when he would receive the remaining amount in full. The money and the lands never mattered to him, he would give them all away for just one more day with his parents.

Sasuke ate smoked fish for dinner in silence, lit only by candlelight. Lying on the bed, he cursed himself for his weakness and without realizing, fell asleep.

The sun was shining high in the sky, casting the trees' shadows directly downwards. Naruto molded chakra into the soles of his feet, and looked at Sasuke, who had done the same. He challenged him with a look and in an instant, they both sprinted towards the trees. They ran alongside the bruised tree trunks. This time he would catch up to Sasuke. Naruto was beginning to notice his concentration losing intensity, but he managed to take one more step than the previous time. He marked the tree and fell in a controlled manner. At moment later, Sasuke descended too, his best mark just a meter above Naruto's. He had been hunting him slowly but surely since yesterday, but soon it would be Sasuke who would chase him.

Naruto sighed and closed his eyes. He formed a seal with his hands and brought his attention to the soles of his feet, following Sakura's instructions. He was almost ready to climb again. Just a little more...

"Hey Naruto." Sasuke said, completely breaking his concentration as he was just about to run towards the tree.

"Can't you see I'm trying to focus? What do you want?" Naruto snapped.

"You see, this..."

Sasuke's gaze wandered around Naruto, never making direct eye contact. That was weird for Sasuke, as much as him speaking. They had spent the last couple of days training in silence. Sasuke walked over and sighed.

"What did Sakura tell you?" Sasuke said, and the grove filled with an awkward silence. Naruto laughed to try to lift it up.

"Like I'm telling you." said Naruto.

Sasuke's face took on an expression of complete seriousness. The Uchiha bowed to him, he never would have thought that Sasuke would ever bow to anyone.

"I beg you, Naruto." he said.

"Hey, that was a joke. You don't have to get so serious."

Naruto, somewhat embarrassed, told him the advice Sakura gave him. First, you had to completely empty your mind, then focus your attention on the soles of your feet and mold chakra without losing concentration, and finally maintain it as long as possible while walking vertically, trying to use the minimum necessary and shaping chakra to replenish that which was lost while climbing.

"It's better not trying to do everything at the same time. Make sure you get one step done well before going to the next. At first it'll seem strange to you, but soon you will get used to it; I just have to think about it for a few seconds now."

Dusk was starting to set when Kakashi appeared again in the training ground to check on them. Since they had their talk, they had been very even, now Sasuke above, now Naruto. Both of them had climbed more than any other day, they had already reached the middle of the tree, close to the height that Sakura reached on her first attempt.

Kakashi congratulated them on their progress, noting that with each passing day they were less tired, a sign that they were beginning to use chakra more efficiently.

"I'm retiring for today, I recommend you do the same soon." said the jonin, and walked away.

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged glances and both smiled knowingly.

"I still plan to stay for a while. You can go if you want." Sasuke said.

"Nah. Same here." said Naruto.

They both continued well into the afternoon. Naruto could have kept climbing, but he walked alongside Sasuke through the streets of the Leaf. They both lived in the northern half of the village, he in the northwest and Sasuke in the northeast. Conversing, Naruto discovered that Sasuke lived near Master Iruka's apartment. They parted ways and Naruto walked up to his small flat. He cooked a good amount of rice and ate heartily. He put the rest of it in a lunch box and walked calmly back to the training ground, resting the food.

After resting for some time, Naruto resumed training. He climbed in the full moon's light, which allowed enough visibility for him to continue all night if necessary. Naruto only stopped to rest a couple of hours before sunrise, ate again, and leaned back against his tree to get some sleep.

Sasuke got to the grove at dawn, ready to reach the top of the bloody tree before nightfall. He found Naruto sleeping in the shade of his tree. The absolute bastard! Naruto had returned to the training ground to continue climbing, his marks already a couple of meters ahead of Sasuke's own.

Without waking him, he resumed training. Upon landing after the third climb, he saw Naruto stretching and yawning.

"Oh, you're here." Naruto said smiling and got up.

Sasuke ignored the comment and went about his business. By noon, Naruto had advanced a good meter, but Sasuke managed to catch up to him and now they were back in competition for the highest mark. An idea crossed Sasuke's mind during a break. He had always been the best in the Academy, never had to compete for the position. But in one morning trying to surpass Naruto he had climbed much more than any other day when he was still ahead of him. Later, they rested for lunch and each opened their lunch box.

"Shit, I ate all of it last night." said Naruto, scooping up the little rice left in his lunch box and putting it pitifully in his mouth.

Sasuke took the empty lunchbox out of his hands and transferred half of his lunch to it.

"If you stay behind we won't make progress. I need you strong." said Sasuke.

Naruto looked at him with wide eyes and it seemed he was beginning to tear up. Sasuke felt uncomfortable.

"Come on, let's eat and rest a bit. We've got a long day ahead of us." Sasuke added.

They wolfed down Sasuke's lunch: rice with fish, and boiled eggs; and leaned against their trees to rest. With the food well rested, they continued climbing. Throughout the afternoon they beat each other again and again. Focused on their competition, by nightfall they had reached the high branches almost without noticing. They both needed to rest and regain strength, but they had almost gotten to the top of the tree.

"We won't get anything done on an empty stomach, follow me." Naruto said, starting on his way.

Sasuke followed him without asking questions, fatigue and hunger had taken their toll on him, he simply walked. They left the dirt streets behind and entered the long main street of the village. They walked north, towards the faces of the Hokage, through the center of the village, the commercial district. Before reaching the intersection they would take to go to their respective apartments, Naruto opened the curtain at the entrance of a local and invited him to enter. The smell of meat and seasonings made his mouth water, and he felt his stomach growling. Naruto was smiling like a little boy with a new toy.

"Welcome to Ichiraku, the best ramen place in town, perhaps the whole world." said the blond kid.

They sat down and the cook received them warmly. Sasuke hadn't eaten much ramen, so he let Naruto choose as he kept singing the praises of the dish and the differences between different types of broths, meats, vegetables and other toppings. After some deep thought, Naruto settled on the vegetable broth with pork, eggs and mushrooms. It was simply delicious. Sasuke had been eating with efficiency as his sole objective for years, ramen had always seemed to him like an over-complicated soup with too many ingredients that didn't add any nutritional value. That night would change his impression of the plate forever.

After repeating and being completely satiated, Naruto paid for the four bowls; not only because Sasuke didn't use to carry money on himself, since he never ate out, but also as gratitude for sharing his lunch with him. They agreed to rest for the night and continue the next day at dawn.

Naruto woke up more agitated than usual. He quickly ate some dried meat for breakfast and left for the grove. The night before, he had spent a good chunk of his savings, but he had no regrets. Besides, with the money from his first missions, he made sure to buy rice and other supplies for several weeks. The least he would achieve as a ninja would be to never go hungry again. When he got to the training ground, Sasuke was waiting for him at the entrance. Once in the grove, they prepared to finally reach the top of the tree.

Sakura got up and after having breakfast with her parents, she returned to her room to resume training. She had spent the first day reading the scroll several times, trying to get a general idea of the fundamentals of Illusory Techniques. It was more complex than she had imagined. In essence, Genjutsu consisted of introducing chakra into the target's cerebral nervous system to intervene their mind and senses, making them see, hear, smell, taste or feel whatever the user wanted. It could make them believe that they were on fire, or that they were surrounded by the corpses of their friends. The applications were practically limitless.

For her first illusions, she targeted her mother. She showed her two shuriken on a table and asked her which of them was real and which wasn't. Her mother chose the real one instantly, but when she asked how she had known, she couldn't give a concrete answer.

"It seemed the most normal to me." she had said.

Sakura soon discovered that making illusions too perfect didn't make them less detectable. She had to walk the fine line between the unconvincing and the excessive.

Last night she was already capable of creating an illusory shuriken that neither of her parents could tell apart from the real one. It was a very intuitive process that required constant attention, a mental juggling exercise.

Around noon, her mother's voice called for her. Going down to the ground floor, Master Kakashi stood at the entrance of her house. Her mother invited him to come in and have a cup of tea, but the jonin politely declined.

"It's the last day of training and I'd like you to help me finish polishing Naruto and Sasuke's technique." said Kakashi.

Sakura, full of pride, went up to her room and quickly got ready. They said goodbye to her mother, who tried not to embarrass her too much in front of her new master. On the street, they walked towards the grove.

"Well, Sakura. What did you think of the scroll?" Kakashi said.

"I have learned a lot. Thank you, Master. Look." She made several seals and put both hands behind her back.

Sakura spread both hands before her master, showing him a real shuriken and an illusionary one. Even Kakashi would have a hard time telling them apart.

"This is fake." Kakashi said instantly. "You've been training at home the whole time, right? Light doesn't fall on objects in the same way everywhere."

Sakura undid the technique. How stupid, she hadn't adjusted the illusion to the environment. She let out a sigh and continued walking.

"Don't get discouraged, managing to create a simple visual illusion in just three days is no small achievement. Keep practicing and always take note of your surroundings to increase your reference bank, not just visuals.

They continued towards the grove as Sakura pelted her master with questions about Genjutsu. Upon reaching the training ground, they found it empty. Naruto and Sasuke's tree cuts formed an almost uninterrupted column that ran along the trunk until it got lost in the tops. Two kunai dug into the ground at their feet and a familiar voice called out to them.

Naruto laughed triumphantly at the top of the tree. In the adjoining one, Sasuke rested sitting on the highest branch. They had made it.

They both climbed down. They were noticeably tired, but both seemed happy.

"I had brought Sakura to give you the last push, but I can see it won't be necessary."

They let the boys rest for a while. Meanwhile, Sakura showed them what she had learned. Having taken a good look at her surroundings, Sakura created an illusory shuriken that none of them could distinguish from the real one, even after several minutes. Sakura bit back a laugh.

"During the next mission, if we have time, I'll teach you how to disperse an illusion." Kakashi said, and looked at Sakura's proud face. "Try not to let it go to your head, nobody likes people who gloat. The fake's this one, by the way."

Sakura dispelled the jutsu. She still had a lot to learn before she could fool a jonin, but she knew it would only be a matter of time and effort.

Kakashi made them climb the trees as slowly as they could a dozen times. Sakura did it without a hitch. It took a bit more for their teammates but they also ended up succeeding.

"Tomorrow is the big day. We'll meet the Third here at dawn, so go home and get your strength back."

Kakashi walked towards his apartment in the north area, where the first inhabitants of the village settled. He wouldn't admit it to the Third, but he was beginning to get used to the idea of being a genin team's master. The kids had surprised him over and over in the few weeks they had been together. They were still children though, they didn't remind him at all of his generation's ninja. Maybe it was a good thing. Peace may not strengthen one, but it certainly did allow to reach adulthood more easily. Looking back, he could remember so many children killed on the battlefield that he would be unable to count them all.

He arrived at his house, a practically empty small apartment. It once belonged to his former teammate, Rin. Thinking of her brought back bitter memories. After undressing, he sat on the bed and looked at the portrait on the wall. Team Minato smiled at him from the thin wooden tablet in muted, time-worn colors. Rin, Obito and their master, the man people called the Fourth Hokage. Like so many others, they died way before their time.

Kakashi lay back on his bed staring blankly at the ceiling of his room, waiting in vain for sleep to find him.


End file.
